Giant Sequoia

National Monument

Management Plan

Including Errata

United States Department of Agriculture

Forest 

Service

Sequoia National Forest 

Giant Sequoia National Monument August 2012
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Contents

Giant Sequoia National Monument Management Plan

Part 1—Vision.........................................................5

Purpose of the Monument Plan..................................................................7

Relationship of the Monument Plan to Other Documents.......................9

Monument Description .............................................................................10

Vision ..........................................................................................................10

Desired Conditions ....................................................................................22

Part 2—Strategy...................................................29

Land Allocations and Management Areas ..............................................31

Suitable Land Uses....................................................................................36

Strategies and Objectives..........................................................................43

Special Areas, including Special Interest Areas......................................62

Part 3—Design Criteria.........................................67

Legal and Regulatory Compliance ..........................................................69

Clear Need Criteria/Standards and Guidelines......................................78

Monitoring and Evaluation ....................................................................109

Part 4—Transportation Plan...............................125

Appendices.........................................................133

Appendix A—Location Map (California) .............................................134

Appendix B—Location Map (Local) .....................................................135

Appendix C—Giant Sequoia Groves List .............................................136

Appendix D—Giant Sequoia Groves Map............................................138

Appendix E—Partnership Strategy.......................................................139

Appendix F—Recreation Planning........................................................143

Appendix G—Scenic Integrity Objective Maps...................................146

Appendix H—Special Area Maps ..........................................................148
Contents

Management Plan Giant Sequoia National Monument

Appendix I—Clinton Proclamation.......................................................156

Map Packet...............................................................

List of Figures

Figure 1—Management Direction and Guidance for the Monument..................................9

Figure 2—Land Allocations/Management Areas ..............................................................32

Figure 3—Overview of Adaptive Management Based on Scientific Study and 

Monitoring .....................................................................................................................44

Figure 4—Decision Tree for Site-Specific Projects in the Monument ..............................83

List of Maps

Map 1—Recreation Niche Settings for the Northern Portion of the Monument...............13

Map 2—Recreation Niche Settings for the Southern Portion of the Monument...............14

Map 3—Tribal Fuels Emphasis Treatment Area ...............................................................50

Map 4—Recreation Opportunity Spectrum Classes for the Northern Portion of the 

Monument....................................................................................................................144

Map 5—Recreation Opportunity Spectrum Classes for the Southern Portion of the 

Monument....................................................................................................................145

Map 6—Scenic Integrity Objectives for the Northern Portion of the Monument...........146

Map 7—Scenic Integrity Objectives for the Southern Portion of the Monument...........147

Map 8—Special Areas in the Monument.........................................................................148

Map 9—Kings River Special Management Area ............................................................149

Map 10—Moses Mountain Research Natural Area.........................................................150

Map 11—Slate Mountain Botanical Area........................................................................151

Map 12—Freeman Creek Botanical Area........................................................................152

Map 13—South Mountaineer Creek Research Natural Area...........................................153

Map 14—Windy Gulch Geological Area.........................................................................154

Map 15—Proposed Moses Wilderness............................................................................155

List of Tables

Table 1—Named Giant Sequoias.......................................................................................12

Table 2—Acres of Land Allocations/Management Areas .................................................31

Table 3—Dominant Management Direction When Land Allocations/Management 

Areas Overlap ................................................................................................................33
Contents

Giant Sequoia National Monument Management Plan

Table 4—Suitable Land Uses and Activities by Static Land Allocation or 

Management Area ..........................................................................................................38

Table 5—Suitable Land Uses and Activities by Overlapping Land Allocation or

Management Area ..........................................................................................................42

Table 6—Strategies for Scientific Study and Adaptive Management................................44

Table 7—Objectives for Scientific Study and Adaptive Management ..............................45

Table 8—Strategies Specific to Giant Sequoias.................................................................45

Table 9—Strategies for Climate Change/Carbon Sequestration........................................46

Table 10—Strategies for Ecological Restoration...............................................................46

Table 11—Strategy for Pest Management .........................................................................47

Table 12—Objectives for Giant Sequoias..........................................................................47

Table 13—Objectives for Mixed Conifer..........................................................................47

Table 14—Objective for Blue Oak–Interior Live Oak ......................................................47

Table 15—Objectives for Chaparral–Live Oak .................................................................47

Table 16—Objectives for Montane Hardwood–Conifer....................................................48

Table 17—Objectives for Red Fir......................................................................................48

Table 18—Strategies for Fire and Fuels............................................................................48

Table 19—Strategies for Ecological Restoration...............................................................48

Table 20—Strategies for Fuels Reduction .........................................................................49

Table 21—Strategies Specific to WUI Management.........................................................49

Table 22—Objectives for Fire and Fuels...........................................................................49

Table 23—Strategies for Wildlife and Plant Habitat .........................................................52

Table 24—Objectives for Wildlife and Plant Habitat........................................................53

Table 25—Strategies for Air Quality .................................................................................53

Table 26—Objective for Air Quality .................................................................................53

Table 27—Strategies for Range.........................................................................................53

Table 28—Strategies for Hydrological Resources.............................................................54

Table 29—Objectives for Hydrological Resources...........................................................54

Table 30—Strategies for Groundwater..............................................................................54

Table 31—Objectives for Groundwater.............................................................................55

Table 32—Strategies for Geological Resources................................................................55

Table 33—Objectives for Geological Resources...............................................................55

Table 34—Strategies for Paleontological Resources.........................................................55

Table 35—Objective for Paleontological Resources.........................................................55

Table 36—Strategies for Soils...........................................................................................56

Table 37—Strategies for Human Use ................................................................................56
Management Plan Giant Sequoia National Monument

Contents

Table 38—Objectives for Human Use...............................................................................57

Table 39—Strategies for Cultural Resources.....................................................................59

Table 40—Objective for Cultural Resources.....................................................................59

Table 41—Strategies for Transportation System...............................................................59

Table 42—Objectives for Transportation System..............................................................60

Table 43—Strategies for Special Areas, including Special Interest Areas ........................60

Table 44—Objectives for Special Areas, including Special Interest Areas.......................61

Table 45—Non-Wilderness Roadless Areas......................................................................64

Table 46—Management Direction for Ecological Restoration .........................................79

Table 47—Part 1 Monitoring Summary ..........................................................................111

Table 48—Part 2 Monitoring Summary ..........................................................................119

Table 49—Part 3 Monitoring Summary ..........................................................................120

Table 50—Soil Indicator Condition Exhibit....................................................................123

Table 51—Miles of Roads in the Monument by Maintenance Level..............................128

Table 52—Miles of Road by Functional Class................................................................129

Table 53—Potential Risk and Need Equivalent Combination Ratings ...........................131
Giant Sequoia National Monument Management Plan

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Purpose of the Monument Plan

The purpose of the Giant Sequoia National Monument 

Management Plan (Monument Plan) is to provide 

overall strategic guidance for managing the Giant 

Sequoia National Monument (Monument). The unique 

and special features of the Monument—the giant 

sequoia groves, the ecosystems that support them, 

and the other objects of interest—are what make the 

Monument what it is: a special area that merits careful 

management, protection, and preservation. This plan 

provides for the protection of the objects of interest 

while encouraging continued public and recreation 

access and use consistent with the purposes of the 

Monument (Clinton 2000, p. 24097). It contributes 

to social, economic, and ecological sustainability by 

guiding the restoration or maintenance of the health of 

the land in the Monument.

This Monument Plan was developed for the selected 

alternative, Alternative B, as identified in the Giant 

Sequoia National Monument Final Environmental 

Impact Statement (FEIS). The FEIS describes the 

analysis used in formulating the Monument Plan. A 

Record of Decision is also available that identifies the 

selected alternative and the rationale used in making 

the decision.

The Monument Plan provides the strategic 

direction at the broad program level for managing 

the Monument and its resources over the next 10 

to 15 years. It includes the direction required by 

the Clinton proclamation (Proclamation), and it 

replaces, in its entirety, all previous management 

direction for the Monument, including the direction 

in the 1988 Sequoia National Forest Land and 

Resource Management Plan (Forest Plan) for this 

part of the Sequoia National Forest. It is the single 

comprehensive management plan for this area. While 

the Monument Plan is a stand-alone document, it is 

also a subset of the entire Forest Plan.

This strategic direction was developed by an 

interdisciplinary planning team working with forest 

staff, making use of extensive public involvement 

and collaboration, and the best science available. 

The Monument Plan implements the Proclamation 

by providing guidance to protect the objects of 

interest, restore ecosystems, and provide opportunities 

for public use. It provides a context for informed 

decision making, while guiding resource management 

programs, practices, uses, and projects. It will 

guide the development and analysis of resource 

management activities in future site-specific projects 

to move resources toward the desired conditions for 

the Monument.

This plan does not include any decisions on specific 

projects or activities. Those decisions will be made 

later, after more detailed analysis of specific project 

sites and additional public involvement on sitespecific proposals. Compliance with the National 

Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) is required for 

any project-level decision that may have an effect 

on the environment. Project-level decisions must be 

informed by site-specific analysis through an open, 

public process.

The Monument Plan is adaptive in that new 

knowledge and information can be analyzed and 

the plan changed, if appropriate, at any time. It 

provides overall intent and guidance, but provides the 

flexibility needed for the responsible official to work 

with the public and adapt management strategies to 

the constantly changing demands that are inherent 

to natural resource management. It defines the 

parameters (limits) for management but allows for 

the adjustment of future project-level decisions to 

accommodate rapidly changing social and resource 

conditions. This allows the latest science and public 

input to be employed at the time a decision is to be 

made.

The Monument Plan was prepared according to the 

requirements of the National Forest Management Act 

(NFMA), its implementing regulations at 36 Code of 

Federal Regulations (CFR) 219 (77 FR 21260, April 

9, 2012), the National Environmental Policy Act of 

1969 (NEPA), and the Council of Environmental 

Quality (CEQ) regulations at 40 CFR 1500-1509. 

NFMA’s current implementing regulations at 36 

CFR 219.17(b)(3) (77 FR at 21270) allow the use 

of the provisions of the prior planning regulation, 

including its transition provisions (2000 Planning 

Rule at 36 CFR 219.35(a) and (b) [2010], December 

18, 2009). The transition provisions of the 2000 

planning rule allow the use of the prior planning 

regulation promulgated in 1982. The Monument 
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1. These are 1982 regulations that are no longer in the CFR, but 

are still applicable to this plan amendment.

2. Ibid.

3. Ibid.

4. Ibid.

5. Ibid.

Plan was developed using the process outlined in 

the 1982 planning regulations, while considering the 

best available science as required by the 2000 rule 

transition provisions (36 CFR 219.35(a) (2010)). 

Unless otherwise noted, all subsequent citations to 

“36 CFR 219” in this document refer to the 1982 

planning process: see 36 CFR Part 219 (2000).

Organization of the Monument Plan

This Monument Plan consists of four interrelated parts 

that work together to facilitate the use of adaptive 

management and the development of management 

activities that will move the Monument toward the 

desired conditions. Part 1—Vision paints the picture 

of the conditions desired in the long term. Part 2—

Strategy contains the strategic management direction. 

Part 3—Design Criteria contains the guidance for 

designing actions and activities in order to make 

progress toward the vision and desired conditions 

described in Part 1. Part 4 contains the Transportation 

Plan for the Monument.

Part 1 is the Vision for the Monument. It includes the 

purpose of the Monument Plan, the relationship of the 

Monument Plan to other documents, and a description 

of the Monument. Part 1 discusses the Monument 

niche (the Monument’s uniqueness on a national and 

regional level) and its recreation niche. Part 1 also 

describes the desired conditions (36 CFR 219.11(b)(1)) 

for the resources of the Monument.

Part 2 is the Strategy for the Monument. It begins by 

identifying generally suitable land uses and activities 

for the Monument. It then lays out the management 

strategies and objectives (36 CFR 219.11 (b)(2)) that 

the Forest Service will strive to achieve in order to 

move the Monument toward the desired conditions 

described in Part 1. Part 2 also identifies special areas 

in the Monument (36 CFR 219.17(3)), as well as the 

land allocations and management areas (36 CFR 

219.11(c)(4)) for the Monument.

Part 3 is the Design Criteria for the Monument. The 

design criteria include the laws and regulations, 

treatment and clear need criteria, the decision tree, 

standards and guidelines (36 CFR 219.11(c) and 

219.13 through 219.29(5)), and monitoring and 

evaluation procedures that will be used during sitespecific project planning and implementation. Design 

criteria are sideboards for subsequent projects and 

activities to help achieve the desired conditions.

Part 4 is the Transportation Plan for the Monument. 

Required by the Proclamation, it provides a 

framework by which to manage the transportation 

system and make future decisions concerning changes 

to it. 
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Relationship of the Monument Plan to Other 

Documents

Figure 1 Management Direction and Guidance for the Monument

The Record of Decision (ROD) for the Monument 

Plan EIS amends the existing 1988 Forest Plan, as 

amended by the 1991 Kings River Wild and Scenic 

River and Special Management Area Implementation 

Plan (KRSMA), the 2001 Sierra Nevada Forest Plan 

Amendment (2001 SNFPA), and the 2007 Sierra 

Nevada Forest Management Indicator Species 

Amendment (SNF MIS). The Monument Plan was 

developed using the guidance and management 

direction provided by the 1990 Mediated Settlement 

Agreement (MSA) and is constrained by that which is 

applicable to the Monument and consistent with the 

Proclamation. The Monument Plan also considers the 

2004 Sierra Nevada Forest Plan Amendment (2004 

SNFPA), but is not constrained by its management 

recommendations. The Monument Plan was guided 

by the best available science, a thorough review 

of relevant scientific information, and practical 

experience, as required by national forest planning 

direction and the Proclamation.
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Monument Description

The Giant Sequoia National Monument (Monument) 

is located in south-central California and covers 

328,315 acres administered by the United States 

Department of Agriculture (USDA), Forest Service, 

Sequoia National Forest (see location maps in 

Appendices A and B). Created by presidential 

proclamation on April 15, 2000, the “rich and varied 

landscape of the Giant Sequoia National Monument 

holds a diverse array of scientific and historic 

resources. Magnificent groves of towering giant 

sequoias, the world’s largest trees, are interspersed 

within a great belt of coniferous forest, jeweled with 

mountain meadows. Bold granitic domes, spires, and 

plunging gorges texture the landscape” (Clinton 2000, 

p. 24095).

Vision

The Monument is set apart and reserved for the 

purpose of protecting the objects of interest identified 

in the Proclamation, for their proper care and 

management (Clinton 2000). The objects of interest 

were generally identified in the Proclamation, with 

the requirement that the Monument Plan provide 

direction for their proper care. Through public and 

agency dialogue, the objects of interest have been 

determined to be a mix of individual objects or 

locations (such as specific caverns or named sequoias) 

and broad ecosystems with their natural processes. 

For the purpose of managing the Monument, the 

Forest Service has refined the list of objects of interest 

as follows:

● The naturally-occurring giant sequoia groves and 

their associated ecosystems, individual giant trees, 

and other rare and endemic plant species listed 

as threatened, endangered, or sensitive by the 

Endangered Species Act or the Forest Service.

● The ecosystems and outstanding landscapes that 

surround the giant sequoia groves.

● The diverse array of rare animal species, including 

the Pacific fisher; the great gray owl; the American 

marten; the northern goshawk; the peregrine 

falcon; the California spotted owl; the California 

condor; several rare amphibians; the western 

pond turtle; and other species listed as threatened, 

endangered, or sensitive by the Endangered 

Species Act or the Forest Service.

● The paleontological resources in meadow 

sediments and other sources of recorded ecological 

changes such as fire regimes, volcanism, 

vegetation, and climate.

● The limestone caverns and other geological 

features, including granite domes, spires, 

geothermally produced hot springs and soda 

springs, and glacial and river-carved gorges.

● Cultural resources, both historic and prehistoric, 

which provide a record of human adaptation to the 

landscape and land use patterns that have shaped 

ecosystems.

The Monument provides for and encourages 

continued public and recreation access and 

use consistent with protecting the objects of 

interest (Clinton 2000). The Monument provides 

exemplary opportunities for biologists, geologists, 

paleontologists, archaeologists, and historians to 

study the objects of interest; for understanding 

ongoing environmental changes; and for studying 

forest resilience and the consequences of different 

approaches to forest restoration (Clinton 2000).
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Monument Niche

Giant sequoias (Sequoiadendron giganteum) grow 

only on the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada 

mountain range in California. These trees can tower 

270 feet high and reach 30 feet in diameter. Located 

at the southernmost end of the Sierra Nevada in 

central California, the Sequoia National Forest, 

named for the world’s largest trees, contains the 

greatest concentration of giant sequoia groves in 

the world. Thirty-three groves and the areas around 

them are protected within the Giant Sequoia National 

Monument (Monument) (see the list in Appendix C 

and the map in Appendix D).

The Monument is unique as it is the only national 

monument in California that was designated by 

presidential proclamation. With authority vested 

in the American Antiquities Act of 1906, in April 

2000, President Clinton set aside and reserved the 

Monument for the purpose of protecting the objects of 

interest.

The rich and varied landscape of the Giant Sequoia 

National Monument holds a diverse array of 

scientific and historic resources. Magnificent 

groves of towering giant sequoias, the world’s 

largest trees, are interspersed within a great belt of 

coniferous forest, jeweled with mountain meadows. 

Bold granitic domes, spires, and plunging gorges 

texture the landscape. The area’s elevation climbs 

from about 2,500 to 9,700 feet over a distance 

of only a few miles, capturing an extraordinary 

number of habitats within a relatively small area. 

This spectrum of ecosystems is home to a diverse 

array of plants and animals, many of which are 

rare or endemic to the southern Sierra Nevada. The 

monument embraces limestone caverns and holds 

unique paleontological resources documenting 

tens of thousands of years of ecosystem change. 

The monument also has many archaeological 

sites recording Native American occupation and 

adaptations to this complex landscape, and historic 

remnants of early Euroamerican settlement as well 

as the commercial exploitation of the giant sequoias 

(Clinton 2000, p. 24095).

The Monument’s landscape is as spectacular as its 

trees. Soaring granite monoliths, glacier-carved 

canyons, limestone caves, roaring world-class 

whitewater, and scenic lakes and reservoirs await 

visitors’ discovery at the Sierra Nevada’s southern 

reach. The Monument offers visitors spectacular 

views in a dramatic range of settings. These 

mountains stand in contrast to California’s San 

Joaquin Valley, providing cool relief for families 

from the scorching heat of summer and welcome blue 

skies and sun during the cold fog of winter. From 

the dramatic Kings Canyon, through the ancient 

giant sequoias, down to the mighty Kern River, the 

Monument features diverse settings and special 

places.

The Monument is well-known for these settings and 

places. These settings, as well as other outstanding 

features that are less well-known, are important to 

Picture 1 President Clinton next to the giant 

sequoia where the Proclamation was signed 

(April 2000)
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Management Plan Giant Sequoia National Monument

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individuals and create strong connections to place, 

which may come from personal experience or from 

someone else’s experience. Places have particular 

meaning for individuals, and each person can have 

that attachment for a different place or multiple 

locations, which may vary with the activity, such as a 

favorite camping spot, or a favorite trail, or a favorite 

vista point. No one place can satisfy that connection 

for all people. The place and the reason for the 

attachment are as individual as the person.

The Giant Sequoia National Monument is a unique 

place, highly valued by its neighbors, visitors, and 

distant admirers. Giant sequoias are a symbolic 

vestige of the wild Sierra, evoking a deep emotional 

response, even from people who have never 

experienced their grandeur firsthand.

Over the years, people have named a number of 

individual giant sequoia trees or stumps. Some of 

these trees or stumps have multiple names. The reason 

they were named is often unknown and is the subject 

of speculation and stories passed down through the 

generations. These named trees or stumps are still 

important to people and represent part of the cultural 

landscape of the Monument. However, current Forest 

Service policy is to avoid any further naming of giant 

sequoia trees. The following table lists the known 

officially named giant sequoia trees and stumps in 

the Monument. Named giant sequoia have either 

been identified on the forest recreation map or in 

officially published documents such as The Giant 

Sequoias of California, published by the United States 

Government Printing Office in 1942.

Table 1 Named Giant Sequoias

Tree Stump Grove Name Ranger District Remarks

Boole Converse Basin (includes 

Cabin Creek Grove)

Hume Lake Largest giant sequoia on National Forest 

System lands

Chicago Stump Converse Basin Hume Lake Formerly the General Noble Tree—cut for the 

1893 World Fair in Chicago

Bush Freeman Creek Western Divide Named for President George H.W. Bush in 1992

Recreation Niche

The recreation niche is what the Monument has to 

offer in terms of special places, opportunities, and 

potential experiences, overlapped with what people 

desire and expect in terms of outdoor recreation 

from public lands. The Monument is best known 

for particular attributes or settings, including giant 

sequoias and their ecosystems. The following settings 

can be found within the Monument:

● Rivers and Lakes: Water is the magnet, 

featuring world-class whitewater and attracting 

family use at Hume Lake and the Kern, Kings, and 

Tule rivers (high niche conformance(6)).

● Scenic Routes: These routes offer great 

views through a range of life zones, providing 

access to adventure and discovery (high niche 

conformance).

● Great Western Divide: Giant sequoias and 

dispersed recreation (high niche conformance).

● Lloyd Meadow: Spectacular Kern Canyon 

views; rock climbing on granite formations; 

dispersed recreation; giant sequoias (high niche 

conformance).

● Hume High Elevation: Overnight destination 

with giant sequoia logging history; wilderness 

access; intertwined with national parks (high niche 

conformance).

● Wildlands: Includes parts of two wildernesses 

in the Monument and a few other areas, offering 

solitude and scenic backdrop (moderate niche 

conformance).

● Front Country: Year-round access; desirable in 

spring (wildflowers) and fall (hunting); very hot 

in summer; chaparral, oak to mixed conifer (low 

niche conformance).

● Kings River Special Management Area 

OHV: Off-highway vehicle (OHV) use in the 

6. How well those settings fit with what the forest is known for is 

called niche conformance. However, just because a setting is noted 

as having low or moderate niche conformance does not mean that 

those settings are not important to individuals; their own connection 

to place may be strongest for some of those locations.
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Monument, authorized by law; this steep canyon 

offers motorized trails with solitude (low niche 

conformance).

Maps 1 and 2 display the recreation niche settings 

established for the Monument.

Map 1 Recreation Niche Settings for the Northern Portion of the Monument
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Map 2 Recreation Niche Settings for the Southern Portion of the Monument
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The recreation niche settings, as delineated for the 

entire Sequoia National Forest, are further divided 

into places and are described in the following 

paragraphs.

Rivers and Lakes

Picture 2 Kings River

the Cedar Grove portion of Kings Canyon National 

Park. This highway provides access for sightseeing 

tourists along the South Fork of the Kings River, to 

Cedar Grove, and to the wilderness trailheads. This is 

a prime fly fishing area.

The junction of the South and Middle Forks is also 

the eastern boundary of the KRSMA, which extends 

west along the main stem of the Kings River to Mill 

Flat Campground, and includes the surrounding lands 

up to the main ridges of the Kings River Gorge. This 

section of the river has steep terrain and very limited 

access, so this part of the KRSMA has little visitation. 

It is visited mostly by anglers accessing the river 

on the Yucca Point or Mill Flat Creek Trails (Forest 

Trails 28E01 and 27E01).

From Mill Flat Campground west to Pine Flat 

Reservoir, Mountain Road 2 and Road 12S01 provide 

vehicle access to the river. Portions of the Kings River 

are famous for whitewater rafting and fly fishing.

The main stem of the Kings River (west of KRSMA) 

is popular with activity-oriented adventure seekers 

such as whitewater rafters (managed by the Sierra 

National Forest), anglers, water players (couples and 

families), and social gatherers.

Hume Lake

This area includes the Hume Lake Campground, 

multiple day use sites, a group camp, and a recreation 

Kings River residence tract. The lake was once a mill pond created 

The Kings River forms the boundary between the 

Sierra National Forest and the Sequoia National 

Forest. Portions of the river in both forests 

are designated as wild and scenic. The Kings 

River Special Management Area (KRSMA), a 

congressionally designated area, also lies in both 

forests, but is administered by the Sierra. The river 

formed the world-renowned Kings Canyon, which is 

more than 8,000 feet deep, located in both the national 

forest and the adjacent Kings Canyon National 

Park. Both the Middle and South Forks begin in 

Kings Canyon National Park and flow down through 

portions of the Monarch Wilderness in the national 

forests.

Highway 180, which is the Kings Canyon Scenic 

Byway, drops into the Kings River Gorge along the 

South Fork and provides the only vehicle access to Picture 3 Hume Lake
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by the Hume Bennett Lumber Company during the 

historic logging period. Now the lake draws huge 

crowds during the summer months. The campground 

is often full. People staying overnight in other areas 

often use the facilities here during the day. At about 

5,200 feet in elevation, the reservoir is located in 

mixed conifer forest within the Monument. The Hume 

Lake Dam, designed by John Eastwood in 1908, is 

the first concrete-reinforced multiple arch dam to be 

constructed in the United States. The dam is being 

considered for nomination as a national historic 

landmark. An interpretive trail was developed around 

the lake, part of which is accessible for persons with 

disabilities. The Hume Lake Christian Conference, 

which is highly developed and nationally known, is 

located on private land at one end of the lake and is 

open year-round.

Forest experience seekers, anglers, water players, 

and social gatherers use the area. Sightseeing tourists 

overflow from the national parks and the Hume Lake 

Christian Conference. Because of these influences, 

visitors tend to be family-oriented and very interested 

in learning. Overnight camping, non-motorized 

boating, picnicking, fishing, water play, and hiking are 

popular activities.

Tule River

Originating in high-elevation alpine meadows, the 

three branches of the Tule River flow through the 

Monument. Steep canyons escort the three forks as 

they drop in elevation and meet in Lake Success 

reservoir. The rural community of Springville, at 

1,000 feet elevation, is developing quickly and serves 

as a gateway to the Monument. The Tule River 

Indian Reservation, the second largest in California, 

surrounds the South Fork of the Tule River. Special 

management challenges include fire, hydroelectric 

power projects, urban interface, crowd and traffic 

control, litter, graffiti, and gang-related problems.

The Tule River corridor is a year-round refuge 

for recreation, providing relaxation for neighbors 

(communities of Porterville, Springville, Pierpoint 

Springs, Camp Nelson, Sequoia Crest, Ponderosa), 

anglers and hunters, social gatherers, water players 

(residents of the central valley), and sightseeing 

tourists. Proximity and easy access allow lower 

income groups to frequently use the river corridor. 

Youth, Hispanic, and Asian visitors are numerous. 

The rapidly developing community of Springville is 

attracting retirees and families from the urban areas of 

California, many of whom have little experience with 

the urban/wildland issues of a foothill community.

Picture 4 Tule River
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Scenic Routes

Kings Canyon Scenic Byway

This scenic route transects a number of recreation 

settings: Front Country, Hume High Elevation, and 

Rivers and Lakes. The Kings Canyon Scenic Byway 

is the only designated national forest scenic byway 

in the Sequoia National Forest, and it provides the 

only vehicle access into the world-renowned Kings 

Canyon. This area of the forest is strongly influenced 

by visitors to the Sequoia and Kings Canyon National 

Parks. Grant Grove, the Kings River, the Monarch 

Wilderness, Grizzly Falls, and Boyden Cavern are 

popular attractions along the route. Elevations range 

from 2,000 to 8,000 feet.

Sightseeing tourists (accessing the national parks) 

and forest experience seekers (central valley residents 

Picture 5 Kings Canyon Scenic Byway

escaping the summer heat) use the route to reach 

favorite recreation destinations. Some wilderness 

users travel this route to reach backcountry and 

wilderness. Environmental students and geology 

enthusiasts are drawn to the rare folded rock 

formations along the highway and other outstanding 

geological characteristics. 

Generals Highway

This route travels through National Forest System 

lands connecting Sequoia National Park with Kings 

Canyon National Park. The road is high elevation that 

is closed periodically during the winter when snow 

makes travel questionable for passenger vehicles. 

Routes that go to Jennie Lakes Wilderness, Buck 

Rock, the Big Meadows area, and Ten Mile Road are 

accessed from this highway. Management challenges 

include risks associated with wildfire, urban/

private property, and Sequoia and Kings Canyon 

National Parks interface. Visitation rates and visitor 

expectations for scenery are high because of the 

adjacent national parks.

Western Divide Highway

Steep mountains with granite outcrops rising from 

4,500 feet to 10,000 feet in elevation, mixed conifer 

forests with multiple giant sequoia groves, and 

mountain meadows characterize this area. This 

setting shares a boundary with the Tule River Indian 

Reservation. Several small residential communities, 

recreation rental cabins, recreation residences, and the 

popular Trail of 100 Giants are in this setting. Special 

management challenges include giant sequoia health, 

fisher habitat, off-highway vehicle (OHV) and oversnow vehicle (OSV) use, public use and the need for 

patrols, wildland urban intermix, and proximity to 

Mountain Home State Forest.

Visitors include sightseeing tourists, including 

international visitors from European and Asian 

countries, forest experience seekers and their families 

escaping the heat of summer, and individuals from all 

market zones. Hispanic and Southeast Asian visitation 

is increasing. Hunters, anglers, and traditional users 

frequent developed and dispersed camping sites. 

Activity-oriented adventure seekers are attracted to 
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outstanding rock climbing opportunities, stock use, 

hiking, mountain biking, cross-country skiing, and 

OHV and OSV use.

Great Western Divide

The Great Western Divide is the high elevation ridge 

line that breaks the Sierra Nevada range into two 

watersheds. This area has 19 recorded giant sequoia 

groves. Old growth forests provide habitat for rare 

wildlife species such as the Pacific fisher. Meadows, 

some lined with aspen groves, creeks with waterfalls, 

and distant vistas are abundant. Needles and Dome 

Rock are spectacular, high profile granite monoliths. 

Slate Mountain is an unusual and prominent landmark 

with a botanical area hosting rare plants. Jordan and 

Mule Peak are still in operation as fire lookouts, and 

they are open to the public. Scenic attributes cover a 

wide variety of habitats including old growth forests 

with rare wildlife species, giant sequoia groves, 

meadows, aspen groves, creeks with waterfalls, views 

to distinctive ridge lines at Slate Mountain, Jordon 

Peak, Mule Peak; and geological features of Needles 

and Dome Rock.

Lloyd Meadow

This high mountain shelf, in the Monument between 

the Western Divide and the Kern Plateau, has an 

average elevation of 5,500 feet. The southern third of 

this meadow was burned in the McNally Fire of 2002. 

Granite formations and expansive vistas of the Kern 

River and Kern Plateau are enjoyed from many areas. 

Special management challenges include lost visitors, 

visitor safety, patrolling, and litter.

Activity-oriented adventure seekers (rock climbers, 

equestrians), social gatherers, forest experience 

seekers, traditional users, hunters, anglers, and 

wilderness users (accessing trailheads or coming from 

organizational camps) are primary users. 

Picture 6 View of Needles from Dome Rock

Picture 7 View from Lloyd Meadow Road

This area is a generational destination and family use 

area. Native American, international, and out-of-state 

use is increasing. Organizational camps contribute a 

youth component in the summer. Popular activities 

are dispersed camping, water play at the “tubs and 

slides,” equestrian use, developed camping, group 

use (non-commercial), rafting and kayaking the Forks 

of the Kern, hunting, fishing, rock climbing, hiking, 

mountain biking, and viewing the George Bush Tree. 

Outfitter guides provide services for some of these 

activities. This area contains the only access point 

for boaters starting the Forks of the Kern run and 

provides early season access to wilderness.
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Hume High Elevation

Located in the northern portion of the Monument in 

the Hume Lake Ranger District, this area is strongly 

influenced by the national parks and the Hume Lake 

Christian Camps. Elevations range from 4,000 to 

8,000 feet in mixed conifer forest, with one of the 

largest concentrations of giant sequoia groves. Visitors 

have many opportunities to discover and explore these 

groves in their natural, wild condition, while enjoying 

outstanding scenery, including Buck Rock and vistas 

of the Sierra high country and into Kings Canyon. 

Special management challenges include coordination 

of the fee program with the National Park Service.

Year-round use is by sightseeing tourists (many are 

out-of-state and international), traditional users with 

long-standing family traditions, forest experience 

seekers (mostly central valley residents, with 

nontraditional user groups of Hispanic and Hmong), 

some activity-oriented adventure seekers (equestrian 

camp), wilderness users, and environmental students 

and enthusiasts visiting the sequoia groves. Popular 

activities include camping in developed sites, 

day use, social gatherings, dispersed camping, 

hiking, equestrian camping, hunting, fishing, rock 

climbing, and OHV and OSV use (designated roads 

only). This area provides wilderness access, two 

resorts, a recreation rental cabin, a pack station, and 

organizational camps.

Wildlands

Wildlands include designated wilderness and a few 

other areas with limited access. The following places 

are in the Monument: parts of the Golden Trout 

Wilderness and the Monarch Wilderness, the Agnew 

Roadless Area, and part of the KRSMA (non-OHV 

portion).

This setting offers the best opportunities for solitude 

and those recreation experiences centered on selfreliance. No developed facilities and very, very steep 

slopes characterize these lands. Many areas have 

significant geological formations. Historic cabins 

and trails, and a wide range of settings and physical 

challenges, draw visitors who desire experiences 

in these remote locations; wilderness attracts a 

relatively small number of visitors to the Monument. 

Special management challenges include shared 

Picture 8 Hume High Elevation
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Kings River Special Management Area 

(KRSMA)

The portion of KRSMA in the Wildlands setting 

begins at the junction of the South and Middle Forks 

of the Kings River where highway 180 climbs out of 

the canyon. This part of KRSMA has little visitation 

because of the steep terrain. This area is visited 

mostly by anglers accessing the river. The Boole 

Tree is located on the southern boundary of this 

area and can be accessed by a two-mile loop trail. 

Plant communities range from riparian along the 

Kings River, forming the northern boundary, through 

grassland and chaparral to giant sequoia groves at the 

top of the drainage of Converse Creek. Prehistoric 

and historic use by Native Americans and ranchers 

occurred in this area.

Monarch Wilderness and Agnew 

Roadless Area

The Monarch Wilderness was designated in 1984, 

totaling 44,896 acres. The Sierra National Forest 

manages the northwest portion, and the rest is 

managed by the Sequoia. The wilderness is adjacent 

to Kings Canyon National Park. From 2,000 feet in 

elevation at the South Fork of the Kings River to 

11,077 feet on Hogback Peak, this land is steep and 

rugged with magnificent views from high ridges 

into deep canyons. Riparian areas to brush lands to 

conifer forests to meadows to giant sequoia groves, 

the Wild and Scenic South Fork of the Kings River 

and highway 180 bisect the area. The Kanawyer 

Trail traverses the Monarch and provides magnificent 

views into Kings Canyon. The Deer Cove Trail leads 

up to Grizzly Lakes and Wildman Meadow, popular 

only with the hardiest of hikers, hunters, and stock 

users. At the higher elevations are the Monarch, Deer 

Meadow, Agnew, and part of Evans giant sequoia 

groves. Agnew Roadless Area, like the adjacent 

Monarch Wilderness, is generally steep terrain, 

broken by rock outcrops and streams with mixed 

conifer forest. The Windy Gulch Geological Area 

(caves) is located in this area.

Picture 9 Golden Trout Wilderness

management and needed coordination for some 

of these areas, managed wildfire, grazing, private 

inholdings, administrative facilities, trail maintenance, 

group use management, feral pigs, threatened and 

endangered species, OHV trespass and encroachment, 

permits, marijuana cultivation, and archaeological 

site protection. The Monarch Wilderness is shared 

with the Sierra National Forest, the Golden Trout is 

shared with the Inyo National Forest, and KRSMA is 

administered by the Sierra National Forest. 

Wilderness visitors are generally tough, adventurous 

types, and use is predominantly in the summer 

months. Outfitters and guides operate in these areas, 

bringing in anglers, hunters, and sightseers.

Golden Trout Wilderness

Designated in 1978, totaling 303,511 acres, the Inyo 

manages the eastern two-thirds, and the western third 

is managed by the Sequoia. Only a small section in 

the northwest corner of the Golden Trout Wilderness 

and adjacent to Mountain Home State Forest is in the 

Monument. Maggie Mountain and Moses Mountain 

are outstanding landmarks, along with the North Fork 

of the Middle Fork of the Tule River and the Maggie 

Mountain, Middle Tule, and Upper Tule River giant 

sequoia groves.
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Front Country

This setting is a desirable destination for visitors in 

spring and fall, when temperatures are moderate and 

snow prevents access to higher elevations, and less 

desirable in the heat of summer. During the spring, 

the hillsides are dressed in spectacular displays 

of wildflowers. Often referred to as the foothills, 

the landscape progresses uphill from grasslands, 

chaparral, and oak woodland to mixed conifer forest. 

Elevations range from 1,000 to 4,500 feet, with 

decomposed granite and erosive soils. These areas 

are subject to fire, by nature, and the wildland urban 

intermix increases that risk. Special management 

challenges include the control of marijuana 

cultivation, OHV trespass, tribal relations, lack of 

Forest Service presence in the field, grazing, wildland 

urban intermix, and fire control.

Activity-oriented adventure seekers include 

equestrians during the cool months, hang gliders, 

hunters, hikers, OHV users, and dog trainers. A 

diverse group, most are day using neighbors. Spring 

wildflower displays attract visitors driving for 

pleasure.

Kings River Special Management 

Area (KRSMA) OHV

This area is bounded on the north by the Kings River 

and has the only two OHV trails in the Monument, as 

authorized by the legislation that created the KRSMA. 

This area is generally steep, with brush- and grasscovered canyons, is not very accessible, and provides 

great opportunities for solitude. Native American use 

and needs may preclude some types of interpretive 

efforts. Millwood staging area and Mill Flat 

Campground are the access points to this area, via the 

Davis Road (12S01). Visitors consist of OHV users 

and local hunters. Special management challenges 

include shared management and needed coordination 

for the KRSMA, which is administered by the Sierra 

National Forest.

Picture 10 Spring wildflowers in the Front 

Country

Picture 11 Kings River Special Management 

Area
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Desired Conditions

The desired conditions stated below are essentially 

the long- term goals for resources in the Monument. 

They describe the desired future state of resources in 

the Monument. Desired conditions may be achievable 

only over a long period of time. They are based upon:

1. The Proclamation (Clinton 2000)

2. Advisories from the Scientific Advisory Board 

and information presented at the Southern Sierra 

Science Symposium

3. Current management direction

4. Public comments on the interpretation of the 

Proclamation and the proposed action

The desired conditions are presented by the resource 

areas affected by this plan amendment.

Scientific Study and 

Adaptive Management

Resource management decisions are based on sound 

science. Research projects focus on science relevant 

to the proper care and management of the objects 

to be protected. This includes continuous, iterative 

collaboration between scientists and managers in the 

implementation of research projects.

Picture 12 An hydrological assessment

a forested stand subject to these extremes is diversity 

in composition (species, size, age class, distribution) 

and spatial distribution that are expected to be more 

resilient to climate changes over time.

Mixed Conifer Forest

The mixed conifer forest varies by both species 

composition and structure—as influenced by 

elevation, site productivity, and related environmental 

factors, including disturbance—and is in a condition 

that is resilient to changes in climate and other 

Picture 13 Bearskin Grove

Vegetation, including Giant 

Sequoias

Forested stands in the Mediterranean climate of the 

Monument are subject to frequent weather cycles. 

Years of cooler, wetter weather are often followed by 

years of hotter, drier weather. The desired condition of 
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ecological conditions. The composition is patchy, 

consisting of a variable mixture of conifer and 

hardwood trees, as well as a diverse mixture of 

shrubs, herbaceous vegetation, and grasses. Spatial 

arrangements vary from pure, or nearly pure, 

groupings to complex combinations, often within 

relatively limited areas. Low density forests with 

frequent canopy openings, varying in size, dominate 

much of the landscape, with higher density forests on 

portions of north and east aspects.

More frequent openings with early seral structure 

and composition (10 percent of the vegetation type) 

exist within the giant sequoia groves. Some mid-seral 

structure has converted to a later seral stage as tree 

sizes increase. Approximately 70 percent of the mixed 

conifer within groves is dominated by trees greater 

than 24 inches in diameter. Some of the large trees 

have multi-layered crowns, producing 60 percent or 

more canopy cover.

Outside giant sequoia groves, 10 percent of 

this vegetation type is early seral structure and 

composition. Almost half of the mid-seral structure 

has converted to a later seral stage as tree sizes 

increase. Approximately 50 percent of the mixed 

conifer is dominated by trees greater than 24 inches in 

diameter. Some of the large trees have multi-layered 

crowns, producing 60 percent or more canopy cover.

Blue Oak–Interior Live Oak(7)

Blue oak conditions are maintained at their current 

condition: a fire regime of low intensity fires, 

with flame lengths less than three feet; natural 

vegetation types; and a highly variable and complex 

landscape pattern. Blue oak dominates, with grass 

and occasional shrubs as the understory. There are 

occasional or periodic flushes of regeneration to 

replace mortality in older trees.

Chaparral–Live Oak(8)

Interior and canyon live oak vegetation is a mosaic 

of varying size and age classes. Large expanses of 

dense or older chaparral are broken up by recent 

disturbances of 10 acres or more, to help slow the 

spread of fire and regenerate chaparral species. Fire 

susceptibility and severity are low, and fire hazards to 

adjacent human communities and surrounding forest 

types are reduced.

7. Foothill woodlands.

Montane Hardwood–Conifer

The montane hardwood/mixed conifer forests vary 

by both species composition and structure—as 

influenced by elevation, site productivity, and related 

environmental factors, including disturbance—and 

are in balance with climate and other ecological 

conditions. The composition is patchy, with an 

abundance of large black oaks. More frequent 

openings with early seral structure and composition 

(10 percent of the vegetation type) exist within the 

groves. Most mid-seral structure has converted to a 

later seral stage as tree sizes increase.

Approximately 70 percent of the montane hardwoodconifers within giant sequoia groves is dominated by 

trees greater than 24 inches in diameter. Some of the 

large trees have multi-layered crowns, producing 60 

percent or more canopy cover.

Outside of giant sequoia groves, 20 percent of 

this vegetation type is early seral structure and 

composition. Over one-half of the mid-seral structure 

has converted to later seral as tree sizes increase. 

Approximately 40 percent of the mixed conifer is 

dominated by trees greater than 24 inches in diameter. 

Some of the large trees have multi-layered crowns, 

producing 60 percent or more canopy cover.

Red Fir

Red fir consists of a mosaic of varying size and age 

classes, with structural clumping greater than 10 

acres, as necessary for species dependent on this 

vegetation type.

More frequent openings with early seral structure 

and composition (10 percent of the vegetation type) 

exist within the giant sequoia groves. Some mid-seral 

structure has converted to later seral as tree sizes 

increase. Approximately 70 percent of the red fir 

within groves is dominated by trees greater than 24 

inches in diameter. Some of the large trees have multilayered crowns, producing 60 percent or more canopy 

cover.

Outside of giant sequoia groves, 10 percent 

of this vegetation type is early seral structure 

and composition. Most mid-seral structure has 

converted to a later seral stage as tree sizes increase. 

Approximately 70 percent of the mixed conifer 

8. Interior and canyon live oaks.
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Management Plan Giant Sequoia National Monument

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outside groves is dominated by trees greater than 24 

inches in diameter. Some of the large trees have multilayered crowns, producing 60 percent or more canopy 

cover.

Fire and Fuels

Fire occurs in its characteristic pattern and resumes 

its ecological role. Frequent fire maintains lower, 

manageable levels of flammable materials in most 

areas, especially in the surface and understory layers. 

There is a vegetation mosaic of age classes, tree 

sizes, and species composition, and a low risk for 

uncharacteristic large, catastrophic fires. The objects 

of interest are protected; sustainable environmental, 

social, and economic benefits (such as those 

associated with tourism) are maintained; and the 

carbon sequestered in large trees is stabilized.

Fire susceptibility and severity, and fire hazards 

to adjacent human communities and surrounding 

forest types, are low. The need to maintain fuel 

conditions that support fires characteristic of complex 

ecosystems is emphasized and allows for a natural 

range of fire effects in the Monument.

Wildlife and Plant Habitat

Lands in the Monument continue to provide a diverse 

range of habitats that support viable populations of 

associated vertebrate species, with special emphasis 

on riparian areas, montane meadows, and late 

successional forest. Proper hydrologic and ecological 

functioning conditions in riparian areas and meadows 

are restored and maintained. Old forest habitat is in 

suitable quality, quantity, and distribution to support 

viable populations of late successional dependent 

species, including Pacific fishers, American martens, 

California spotted owls, northern goshawks, and 

great gray owls. The configuration of habitat in the 

Monument provides connectivity and heterogeneity. 

Picture 14 Fuel reduction by a giant sequoia

Ecological conditions contribute to the recovery of 

federally threatened and endangered species such as 

the California condor and Springville clarkia, and 

help avoid federal listing of Forest Service sensitive 

species.

Hydrological Resources

Aquatic, riparian, and meadow ecosystems are 

protected and restored and provide for the viability 

of species associated with these ecosystems. 

Hydrological resources, including rivers, streams, 

meadows, seasonally or perennially wet areas, and 

their associated riparian vegetation, are able to adjust 

and recover from natural and human-caused events. 

Picture 15 California spotted owl fledglings

Air Quality

Emissions generated by the Monument are limited 

and managed, and clean air is provided for the 

Monument and surrounding communities.
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Riparian and wetland areas are dynamic systems 

that change in response to climatic events including 

climate change. Riparian areas are in dynamic 

equilibrium with respect to erosion and deposition, 

sediment supply, discharge, pattern, profile, and 

dimension. Riparian and wetland areas function 

hydrologically according to their riparian ecotype: 

naturally-stable, stable-sensitive, unstable-sensitivedegraded, and naturally-unstable.(9)

Range

Livestock grazing opportunities are maintained and 

managed for sustainable, healthy rangelands that 

contribute to local economies and improve watershed 

conditions.

Groundwater

Groundwater quality and quantity in aquifers across 

watersheds are sustained.

9. Definitions and more in-depth discussion of riparian ecotypes 

can be found in Chapter 4 of the FEIS (FEIS, Volume 1, Chapter 4, 

Effects on Hydrological Resources, Assumptions and Methodology, 

Ecological Restoration).

Picture 16 Big Meadows

Geological Resources

Geological features, including caves, domes and 

spires, soda springs, and hot springs, are protected 

while providing for public use and enjoyment of these 

resources.

Picture 17 The Needles, a well-known dome 

and spire feature popular with rock climbers
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Paleontological Resources

Paleontological resources retain the components 

providing the fossil record.

Picture 18 Flowstone and drapery inside 

Boyden Cave

Soils

Productive soil conditions are maintained to promote 

ecosystem health, diversity, and productivity.

Human Use

The Monument provides wide and varied public 

use of Monument resources and opportunities 

while protecting sensitive resources and the objects 

of interest. Recreation use throughout the year is 

promoted. Visitors find a rich and varied range of 

sustainable recreational, educational, and social 

opportunities enhanced by giant sequoias and the 

surrounding ecosystems. Consistent and easy-toread signs and informational materials are provided. 

Interpretation and conservation education reflect 

scientifically supported scholarship and research 

data, conveying clear messages about natural and 

cultural resources and multiple use. Partnerships 

are established, providing people with a connection 

to place and promoting a sense of stewardship. 

The Monument provides a wide variety of visually 

appealing landscapes, such as oak woodland, 

chaparral, a variety of mixed conifer forest, and giant 

sequoia groves, for the public to enjoy within the 

places they prefer to visit.

Picture 19 Wide and varied public use

Cultural Resources

A comprehensive cultural resource management 

program places a greater management emphasis on 

the rich cultural resources within the Monument as 

described in the Proclamation. Cultural resources are 

identified and allocated to appropriate management 

categories (FSM 2363) (e.g., preservation, 
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enhancement, scientific investigation, interpretation, 

release) and are protected, maintained, studied, and 

used by the public.

Picture 20 Cultural resource site

Transportation System

Roads are safe and fully-maintained to minimize 

adverse resource effects, while providing public and 

administrative access to National Forest System lands 

and facilities within the Monument. The road system 

is properly sized to provide needed access to the 

objects of interest for their proper care, protection, 

and management, as well as visitor enjoyment of the 

Monument. Roads that are no longer needed have 

been decommissioned to restore natural drainage and 

vegetation or converted to other uses. Picture 21 Kings Canyon Scenic Byway
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Land Allocations and Management Areas

Land allocations are land areas that are differentiated 

and named in the 2001 SNFPA or in this Monument 

Plan and its EIS. 

Management areas are not land allocations as defined 

by the 2001 SNFPA, but rather are areas specific to 

the Monument with their own distinct management 

direction. The land allocations and management areas 

for the Monument are shown in their entirety on Map 

A of the Monument Plan map packet.

There are three categories of land allocations/

management areas for the Monument: static, 

overlapping, and dynamic.

● Static land allocations/management areas are 

those not likely to change in size and location 

over time. They include designated wildernesses, 

wild and scenic river corridors, the Kings River 

Special Management Area (KRSMA), backcountry 

(inventoried roadless areas), the giant sequoia 

groves, old forest emphasis area, the Southern 

Sierra Fisher Conservation Area, research natural 

areas, botanical areas, and a geological area.

● Overlapping land allocations/management 

areas are those that are likely to overlap with 

static and dynamic areas. Where they overlap, the 

more restrictive standards and guidelines would 

be applied, except where noted in the Dominant 

Management Direction table (Table 3). Land 

allocations/management areas that have more 

restrictive management direction preempt those 

with less restrictive direction. For example, when 

a wildland urban intermix (WUI) defense zone 

overlaps designated wilderness, the management 

direction for the more restrictive land allocation/

management area—in this case, the direction for 

the wilderness area because of the importance of 

its legal status—is followed.

● Dynamic land allocations/management areas 

are those that are most likely to change in size 

and location over time with the introduction of 

new information. For example, as Pacific fisher 

populations are tracked, new den sites may be 

identified and mapped. Dynamic land allocations/

management areas may, at times, overlap the other 

types. Since most of the dynamic land allocations/

management areas are related to the protection 

of wildlife species, the standards and guidelines 

associated with them are usually given priority 

over most land allocations/management areas they 

overlap.

The following table shows the acres of land 

allocations and management areas in the Monument.

Table 2 Acres of Land Allocations/Management Areas

Land Allocations/Management Areas (Only the Portions in the Monument) Acres

Static

Giant Sequoia Groves(1) 90,360

Wilderness/Wild & Scenic Rivers 17,960

Kings River Special Management Area (KRSMA) 24,290

Backcountry (Inventoried Roadless Areas) 80,300

Old Forest Emphasis Area 153,760

Southern Sierra Fisher Conservation Area (SSFCA) 311,150

General Monument 5,710

Research Natural Areas, Botanical Areas, Geological Areas 9,340

Overlapping

WUI Defense Zone 45,340

WUI Threat zone 145,520

Tribal Fuels Emphasis Treatment Area (TFETA) 56,640

1. Using the Grove Zones of Influence as the grove allocation boundary.
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Land Allocations/Management Areas (Only the Portions in the Monument) Acres

Dynamic

RCAs and CARs 178,000

CA Spotted Owl Protected Activity Centers (PACs) 22,620

Goshawk PACs 3,240

Great Gray Owl PACs 60

Furbearer (Pacific fisher and American marten) Den Sites 3,070

CA Spotted Owl Home Range Core Areas (HRCAs) 44,410

An example of how the three categories of land 

allocations relate to each other is shown in the 

following graphic.

areas (in which some mechanical fuel treatments are 

permitted). Standards and guidelines for designated 

wilderness and backcountry (inventoried roadless 

areas) supersede all those for other land allocations.

Where the standards and guidelines 

for the two overlapping allocations 

are equally restrictive, or use different 

measures, so that both sets should be 

used in the overlapping area, the table 

indicates “apply both.” For example, 

standards and guidelines for Riparian 

Conservation Areas (RCAs) and 

Critical Aquatic Refuges (CARs) 

minimize disturbance of ground cover 

and riparian vegetation, while those 

for the Southern Sierra Fisher 

Conservation Area (SSFCA) support 

fisher habitat requirements such as 

overstory trees and canopy cover. 

Therefore, where these allocations 

overlap, both sets of standards 

and guidelines can and should be applied in the 

overlapping area, as shown in Table 3.

The Monument Plan map packet contains four 

maps displaying land allocations and management 

areas. Map A displays the static land allocations/

management areas for the Monument; Map B shows 

the land allocations/management areas for wildlife; 

Map C displays the WUI zones; and Map D shows 

the giant sequoia groves. Recreation and scenery 

management areas are delineated on maps to support 

broad administrative management, but do not 

constitute land allocations. Examples of this type of 

mapped information are Maps 1 and 2, which display 

the recreation niche settings for the Monument, the 

recreation opportunity spectrum maps in Appendix F, 

and the scenic integrity objective maps in 

Appendix G.

Figure 2 Land Allocations/Management Areas

The following table further illustrates what 

management direction would be followed where 

land allocations or management areas overlap. 

Where there is an overlap, the table indicates which 

area’s direction applies. Except where noted in the 

following table, land allocations with standards and 

guidelines that protect special habitats or protected 

species have a higher priority than land allocations or 

managment areas that allow more active management. 

For example, standards and guidelines for California 

spotted owl protected activity centers (PACs) protect 

owl habitat and breeding by limiting the types and 

intensities of fuel treatments within their boundaries. 

Therefore, where PACs overlap old forest emphasis 

areas, the standards and guidelines for the PACs 

take precedence over those for old forest emphasis 
Part 2—Strategy

Giant Sequoia National Monument Management Plan

33

Table 3 Dominant Management Direction When Land Allocations/Management Areas Overlap Land Allocations/ Management Areas Southern Sierra Fisher Conserva- tion Area (SSFCA) Old Forest Emphasis Area Wildland Urban Intermix (WUI): Defense Zone Wildland Urban Intermix (WUI): Threat Zone Riparian Conserva- tion Areas (RCAs) and Critical Aquatic Ref- uges (CARs) General Monument(1) Protected Activity Centers (PACs), Den Sites, Home Range Core Areas (HRCAs) Giant Sequoia Groves Tribal Fuels Emphasis Treatment Area (TFETA) Southern Sierra Fisher Conservation Area (SSFCA) N/A Apply Old Forest. Apply SSFCA. Exception: where fuels treatments are needed to meet fire behavior outcomes, apply WUI Defense Zone (S&G #15, p. 87). Apply SSFCA. Exception: where fuels treatments are needed to meet fire behavior outcomes, apply WUI Threat Zone (S&G #18, p. 88). Apply both. N/A Apply PACs, Den Sites, and HRCAs in their respective allocations. Apply both. Apply SSFCA and General Monument(2) Old Forest Emphasis Area Apply Old Forest. N/A Apply Old Forest. Exception: where fuels treatments are needed to meet fire behavior outcomes, apply WUI Defense Zone (S&G #15, p. 87). Apply Old Forest. Exception: where fuels treatments are needed to meet fire behavior outcomes, apply WUI Threat Zone (S&G #18, p. 88). Apply both. N/A Apply PACs, Den Sites, and HRCAs in their respective allocations. Apply both. Apply Old Forest. 1. The 2001 SNFPA called this land allocation General Forest. For the Monument, it is called General Monument and includes any area in the Monument that is outside of other allocations. It therefore does not overlap with any other allocations. 2. There are no standards and guidelines specific to the TFETA, so fire and fuels management in the TFETA is accomplished using the standards and guidelines for the General Monument allocation, in addition to those standards and guidelines specific to the SSFCA.
Part 2—Strategy

Management Plan Giant Sequoia National Monument

34Land 

Allocations/

Management 

Areas

Southern 

Sierra Fisher 

Conservation Area 

(SSFCA)

Old Forest 

Emphasis 

Area

Wildland 

Urban 

Intermix 

(WUI): 

Defense 

Zone

Wildland 

Urban 

Intermix 

(WUI): 

Threat Zone

Riparian 

Conservation Areas 

(RCAs) and 

Critical 

Aquatic Refuges (CARs)

General 

Monument(1)

Protected 

Activity 

Centers 

(PACs), 

Den Sites, 

Home Range 

Core Areas 

(HRCAs)

Giant 

Sequoia 

Groves

Tribal Fuels 

Emphasis 

Treatment 

Area 

(TFETA)

Wildland Urban Intermix (WUI): Defense Zone

Apply SSFCA. Exception: where fuels treatments are needed to meet fire behavior outcomes, apply WUI Defense Zone (S&G #15, p. 87).

Apply Old Forest. Exception: where fuels treatments are needed to meet fire behavior outcomes, apply WUI Defense Zone (S&G #15, p. 87).

N/A N/A Apply both. N/A Apply PACs 

and/or Den Sites in their respective allocations. Apply WUI Defense Zone in HRCAs outside of den sites.

Apply Groves.

Apply SSFCA. Exception: where fuels treatments are needed to meet fire behavior outcomes, apply WUI Defense Zone (S&G #15, p. 87).

Wildland Urban Intermix (WUI): Threat Zone

Apply SSFCA. Exception: where fuels treatments are needed to meet fire behavior outcomes, apply WUI Threat Zone (S&G #18, p. 88).

Apply Old Forest. Exception: where fuels treatments are needed to meet fire behavior outcomes, apply WUI Threat Zone (S&G #18, p. 88).

N/A N/A Apply both. N/A Apply PACs 

and/or Den Sites in their respective allocations. Apply WUI Threat Zone in HRCAs outside of den sites.

Apply Groves.

Apply SSFCA. Exception: where fuels treatments are needed to meet fire behavior outcomes, apply WUI Threat Zone (S&G #18, p. 88).

Riparian Conservation Areas (RCAs) and Critical Aquatic Refuges (CARs)

Apply both. Apply both. Apply both. Apply both. N/A N/A Apply all 

applicable S&Gs. Exception: where S&Gs conflict, apply most restrictive.

Apply both. Apply RCAs 

and CARs.

General Monument

N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
Part 2—Strategy

Giant Sequoia National Monument Management Plan

35

3. There are no standards and guidelines specific to the TFETA, so the standards and guidelines for the WUI Threat Zone would be used in the HRCAs outside of den sites.4. There are no standards and guidelines specific to the TFETA, so fire and fuels management in the TFETA is accomplished using the standards and guidelines for the General Monument allocation, in addition to those standards and guidelines specific to the SSFCA.5. There are no standards and guidelines specific to the TFETA, so the standards and guidelines for the WUI Threat Zone would be used in the HRCAs outside of den sites.

Land 

Allocations/

Management 

Areas

Southern 

Sierra Fisher 

Conservation Area 

(SSFCA)

Old Forest 

Emphasis 

Area

Wildland 

Urban 

Intermix 

(WUI): 

Defense 

Zone

Wildland 

Urban 

Intermix 

(WUI): 

Threat Zone

Riparian 

Conservation Areas 

(RCAs) and 

Critical 

Aquatic Refuges (CARs)

General 

Monument(1)

Protected 

Activity 

Centers 

(PACs), 

Den Sites, 

Home Range 

Core Areas 

(HRCAs)

Giant 

Sequoia 

Groves

Tribal Fuels 

Emphasis 

Treatment 

Area 

(TFETA)

Protected Activity Centers (PACs), Den Sites, Home Range Core Areas (HRCAs)

Apply PACs, Den Sites, and HRCAs in their respective allocations.

Apply PACs, Den Sites, and HRCAs in their respective allocations.

Apply PACs and/or Den Sites in their respective allocations. Apply WUI Defense Zone in HRCAs outside of den sites.

Apply PACs and/or Den Sites in their respective allocations. Apply WUI Threat Zone in HRCAs outside of den sites.

Apply all applicable S&Gs. Exception: where S&Gs conflict, apply most restrictive.

N/A N/A Apply PACs, 

Den Sites, and HRCAs in their respective allocations.

Apply PACs and/or Den Sites in their respective allocations. Apply WUI Threat Zone(3)in HRCAs outside of den sites.

Giant Sequoia Groves

Apply both. Apply both. Apply 

Groves.

Apply Groves.

Apply both. N/A Apply PACs, 

Den Sites, and HRCAs in their respective allocations.

N/A Apply 

Groves.

Tribal Fuels Emphasis Treatment Area (TFETA)

Apply SSFCA and General Monument.(4)

Apply Old Forest.

Apply SSFCA. Exception: where fuels treatments are needed to meet fire behavior outcomes, apply WUI Defense Zone (S&G #15, p. 87).

Apply SSFCA. Exception: where fuels treatments are needed to meet fire behavior outcomes, apply WUI Threat Zone (S&G #18, p. 88).

Apply RCAs and CARs.

N/A Apply PACs 

and/or Den Sites in their respective allocations. Apply WUI Threat Zone(5)in HRCAs outside of den sites.

Apply Groves.

N/A
Part 2—Strategy

Management Plan Giant Sequoia National Monument

36

Suitable Land Uses

National Forest System lands are generally available 

for a variety of multiple uses, although not all uses 

are suitable for all areas. Section 6 (g) of the Resource 

Planning Act of 1974 (RPA), as amended by the 

National Forest Management Act of 1976 (NFMA), 

requires “the identification of the suitability of lands 

for resource management” (RPA 1974, pp. 4-9).

The definition of suitability is:

The appropriateness of applying certain resource 

management practices to a particular area of land, 

as determined by an analysis of economic and 

environmental consequences and the alternative 

uses forgone. A unit of land may be suitable for 

a variety of individual or combined management 

practices (36 CFR 219.3)

The Sequoia National Forest, as the administrator of 

the Monument, has identified generally suitable uses 

for the Monument as guided by current management 

direction and the Proclamation. The Proclamation 

makes specific statements about the suitability of the 

Monument for certain resource-related activities, such 

as:

● These giant sequoia groves and the surrounding 

forest provide an excellent opportunity to 

understand the consequences of different 

approaches to forest restoration. These forests 

need restoration to counteract the effects of a 

century of fire suppression and logging. Fire 

suppression has caused forests to become denser 

in many areas, with increased dominance of shadetolerant species. Woody debris has accumulated, 

causing an unprecedented buildup of surface 

fuels. One of the most immediate consequences of 

these changes is an increased hazard of wildfires 

of a severity that was rarely encountered in preEuroamerican times. Outstanding opportunities 

exist for studying the consequences of different 

approaches to mitigating these conditions and 

restoring natural forest resilience (Clinton 2000, 

pp. 24095-24096).

● All federal lands and interests in lands within 

the boundaries of this Monument are hereby 

appropriated and withdrawn from entry, location, 

selection, sale, leasing, or other disposition under 

the public land laws including, but not limited to, 

withdrawal from locating, entry, and patent under 

the mining laws and from disposition under all 

laws relating to mineral and geothermal leasing, 

other than by exchange that furthers the protective 

purposes of the monument (Clinton 2000, p. 

24097).

● No portion of the monument shall be considered 

to be suited for timber production, and no part of 

the monument shall be used in a calculation or 

provision of a sustained yield of timber from the 

Sequoia National Forest (Clinton 2000, p. 24097).

● The plan will provide for and encourage continued 

public and recreational access and use consistent 

with the purposes of the monument (Clinton 2000, 

p. 24097).

● For the purposes of protecting the objects 

included in the monument, motorized vehicle 

use will be permitted only on designated roads, 

and non-motorized mechanized vehicle use will 

be permitted only on designated roads and trails, 

except for emergency or authorized administrative 

purposes or to provide access for persons with 

disabilities (Clinton 2000, p. 24098).

● Laws, regulations, and policies pertaining to 

administration by the Department of Agriculture 

of grazing permits and timber sales under contract 

as of the date of this proclamation on National 

Forest System lands within the boundaries of the 

monument shall continue to apply to lands within 

the monument (Clinton 2000, p. 24098).

This section describes general land use suitability 

and provides guidance for making decisions about 

future proposed projects and activities, but does not 

constitute a commitment or a decision to approve any 

particular projects or activities.

The following tables display the suitability of specific 

land uses or activities in both static and overlapping 

land allocations and management areas. Suitability 

is expressed as suitable, not suitable, designated 

areas (existing uses and areas only), regulated by 

the state (California Department of Fish and Game 
Part 2—Strategy

Giant Sequoia National Monument Management Plan

37

[CDF&G]), suitable unless otherwise restricted, 

suitable for authorized use, or by exception. “By 

exception” means the use or activity is not generally 

compatible with that land allocation or management 

area, but it may be appropriate, depending on specific 

site conditions or under certain circumstances, such 

as the collection of culturally important special forest 

products in the backcountry at a certain time of year. 

NEPA analyses for site-specific projects may need to 

be conducted to determine specific instances where 

exceptions are warranted.

Land allocations and management areas are described 

and discussed in the previous section. For the 

dynamic land allocations (not included in these 

tables), suitability will be addressed with standards 

and guidelines developed for those allocations. A 

complete list of the standards and guidelines by 

resource area is available in Part 3.
Part 2—Strategy

Management Plan Giant Sequoia National Monument

38

Table 4 Suitable Land Uses and Activities by Static Land Allocation or Management Area Land Use or Activity Wilderness Wild and Scenic Rivers Backcountry (Inventoried Roadless Areas) Giant Sequoia Groves(1) Southern Sierra Fisher Conservation Area Old Forest Emphasis General Monument Research Natural Areas Botanical Areas, Geological Area Resource Management Prescribed Fire Suitable Suitable Suitable Suitable Suitable Suitable Suitable Suitable Suitable Managed Wildfire Suitable Suitable Suitable Suitable Suitable Suitable Suitable Suitable Suitable Hand Treatments for Fuels Reduction(2) By Exception(3) By Exception Suitable Suitable Suitable(4) Suitable Suitable Suitable Suitable Mechanical Treatments for Fuels Reduction(5) Not Suitable By Exception By Exception Suitable Suitable Suitable Suitable By Exception Suitable Removal of Felled Trees(6) Not Suitable By Exception By Exception Suitable Suitable Suitable Suitable By Exception Suitable New Road Construction Not Suitable Suitable By Exception Not Suitable Suitable Suitable Suitable By Exception Suitable Road Recon- struction Not Suitable Suitable By Exception Suitable Suitable Suitable Suitable Suitable Suitable Trail Con- struction or Reconstruc- tion Suitable Suitable Suitable Suitable Suitable Suitable Suitable Suitable Suitable Administrative Facilities(7) By Exception Suitable Suitable By Exception Suitable Suitable Suitable By Exception By Exception 1. For implementing site-specific projects, this applies only within the grove administrative boundary, not in the Zone of Influence (ZOI). 2. Includes the use of chainsaws, handsaws, axes, and loppers. 3. By Exception: use or activity is not generally compatible with that land allocation or management area, but may be appropriate, depending on specific site conditions or under certain circumstances, such as the collection of culturally important special forest products in the backcountry at a certain time of year. 4. As allowed in the standards and guidelines. 5. Includes the use of mechanized equipment; only where clearly needed for ecological restoration and maintenance or public safety. 6. Only where clearly needed for ecological restoration and maintenance or public safety.

7. Including trailheads, day use areas, lookouts, district offices.
Part 2—Strategy

Giant Sequoia National Monument Management Plan

39

Land Use or 

Activity

Wilderness Wild and 

Scenic 

Rivers

Backcountry 

(Inventoried 

Roadless 

Areas)

Giant 

Sequoia 

Groves(1)

Southern 

Sierra Fisher 

Conservation 

Area

Old 

Forest 

Emphasis

General 

Monument

Research 

Natural 

Areas

Botanical 

Areas, 

Geological 

Area

Scientific Study and Monitoring

Suitable Suitable Suitable Suitable Suitable Suitable Suitable Suitable Suitable

Human UseRecreation Residence Tracts

Not Suitable Designated Areas(8) Designated Areas Designated Areas Suitable Designat- ed Areas Designated Areas Not Suitable Designated Areas

Organizational Camps Not Suitable Suitable unless 

otherwise restricted

Designated Areas

Designated Areas

Suitable Designated Areas Suitable unless 

otherwise restricted

Not Suitable

Designated Areas

Lodges and Resorts

Not Suitable Suitable 

unless otherwise restricted

Suitable unless otherwise restricted

Designated Areas

Suitable Suitable Suitable Not 

Suitable

Designated Areas

Developed Recreation Sites

Not Suitable Suitable 

unless otherwise restricted

Suitable unless otherwise restricted

Suitable Suitable Suitable Suitable Not 

Suitable

Suitable

Dispersed Recreation Sites

Suitable Suitable Suitable Suitable Suitable Suitable Suitable Suitable Suitable

Hunting and Fishing

Regulated by the state (CDF&G) Suitable

Regulated by the state (CDF&G) Suitable

Regulated by the state (CDF&G) Suitable

Regulated by the state (CDF&G) Suitable

Regulated by the state (CDF&G) Suitable

Regulated by the state (CDF&G) Suitable

Regulated by the state (CDF&G) Suitable

Regulated by the state (CDF&G) Suitable

Regulated by the state (CDF&G) Suitable

Motorized Use of Roads

Not Suitable Designated Roads 

Only

Designated Roads Only

Designated Roads Only

Designated Roads Only

Designated Roads Only

Designated Roads Only

Designated Roads Only

Designated Roads Only

Motorized Use of Trails(9)

Not Suitable Designated Only(10) Not Suitable Not Suitable Not Suitable Not Suitable Not Suitable Not Suitable Not Suitable

8. Designated Areas: existing uses and areas only.9. This activity is not suitable as stated in the Proclamation.10. Motorized use is allowed on Forest Trails 27E04 and 27E05 in KRSMA by law (P.L. 100-150).
Part 2—Strategy

Management Plan Giant Sequoia National Monument

40Land Use or 

Activity

Wilderness Wild and 

Scenic 

Rivers

Backcountry 

(Inventoried 

Roadless 

Areas)

Giant 

Sequoia 

Groves(1)

Southern 

Sierra Fisher 

Conservation 

Area

Old 

Forest 

Emphasis

General 

Monument

Research 

Natural 

Areas

Botanical 

Areas, 

Geological 

Area

Motorized or Mechanized Cross Country Travel(11)

Not Suitable Not 

Suitable

Not Suitable Not Suitable Not Suitable Not 

Suitable

Not Suitable Not 

Suitable

Not Suitable

Nonmotorized Mechanized Vehicle Use of Roads and Trails

Not Suitable Suitable 

Unless Otherwise Restricted

Suitable Unless Otherwise Restricted

Suitable Unless Otherwise Restricted

Suitable Unless Otherwise Restricted

Suitable Unless Otherwise Restricted

Suitable Unless Otherwise Restricted

Suitable Unless Otherwise Restricted

Suitable Unless Otherwise Restricted

Temporary Special Uses(12)

Suitable Unless Otherwise Restricted

Suitable Unless Otherwise Restricted

Suitable Unless Otherwise Restricted

Suitable Unless Otherwise Restricted

Suitable Unless Otherwise Restricted

Suitable Unless Otherwise Restricted

Suitable Unless Otherwise Restricted

Suitable Unless Otherwise Restricted

Suitable Unless Otherwise Restricted

Commodity and Commercial UsesCommunication Sites Designated Areas By Exception Designated Areas Designated Areas Suitable Unless 

Otherwise Restricted

Suitable Unless Otherwise Restricted

Suitable Unless Otherwise Restricted

Designated Areas Designated Areas

Utility Corridors

Designated Areas

By Exception

Designated Areas

Designated Areas

Suitable Unless Otherwise Restricted

Suitable Unless Otherwise Restricted

Suitable Unless Otherwise Restricted

Designated Areas Not Suitable

Livestock Grazing

Suitable Suitable Suitable Designated 

Areas

Suitable Suitable Suitable Not 

Suitable

Suitable

Wood Products (firewood)

Not Suitable Suitable 

for Authorized Use

By Exception By 

Exception

Suitable for Authorized Use

Suitable for Authorized Use

Suitable for Authorized Use

Not Suitable

By Exception

11. This activity is not suitable as stated in the Proclamation.12. Includes weddings, fishing events, historical reenactments, and other recreation events.
Part 2—Strategy

Giant Sequoia National Monument Management Plan

41

Land Use or 

Activity

Wilderness Wild and 

Scenic 

Rivers

Backcountry 

(Inventoried 

Roadless 

Areas)

Giant 

Sequoia 

Groves(1)

Southern 

Sierra Fisher 

Conservation 

Area

Old 

Forest 

Emphasis

General 

Monument

Research 

Natural 

Areas

Botanical 

Areas, 

Geological 

Area

Special Forest Products

Not Suitable Suitable 

for Authorized Use

By Exception By 

Exception

Suitable for Authorized Use

Suitable for Authorized Use

Suitable for Authorized Use

Not Suitable

By Exception

Minerals Exploration and Development(13)

Not Suitable Not 

Suitable

Not Suitable Not Suitable Not Suitable Not 

Suitable

Not Suitable Not 

Suitable

Not Suitable

13. This activity is not suitable as stated in the Proclamation.
Part 2—Strategy

Management Plan Giant Sequoia National Monument

42

Table 5 Suitable Land Uses and Activities by Overlapping Land Allocation or 

 Management Area

Land Use or Activity Overlapping Land Allocations/Management Areas

Wildland Urban Intermix: 

Defense Zone

Wildland Urban Intermix: 

Threat Zone

Tribal Fuels Emphasis 

Treatment Area

Resource Management

Prescribed Fire Suitable Suitable Suitable

Managed Wildfire Suitable Suitable Suitable

Hand Treatments for 

Fuels Reduction(1)

Suitable Suitable Suitable

Mechanical Treatments 

for Fuels Reduction(2)

Suitable Suitable Suitable

Removal of Felled 

Trees(3)

Suitable Suitable Suitable

New Road Construction Suitable Suitable Suitable

Road Reconstruction Suitable Suitable Suitable

Trail Construction or 

Reconstruction

Suitable Suitable Suitable

Administrative Facilities(4) Suitable Suitable Suitable

Scientific Study and 

Monitoring

Suitable Suitable Suitable

Human Use

Recreation Residence 

Tracts

Designated Areas(5) Designated Areas Designated Areas

Organization Camps Suitable unless otherwise 

restricted

Suitable unless otherwise 

restricted

Suitable unless otherwise 

restricted

Lodges and Resorts Suitable unless otherwise 

restricted

Suitable unless otherwise 

restricted

Suitable unless otherwise 

restricted

Developed Recreation 

Sites

Suitable unless otherwise 

restricted

Suitable unless otherwise 

restricted

Suitable unless otherwise 

restricted

Dispersed Recreation 

Sites

Suitable unless otherwise 

restricted

Suitable unless otherwise 

restricted

Suitable unless otherwise 

restricted

Hunting and Fishing Regulated by the state 

(CDF&G) Suitable

Regulated by the state 

(CDF&G) Suitable

Regulated by the state 

(CDF&G) Suitable

Motorized Use of Roads Designated Roads Only Designated Roads Only Designated Roads Only

Motorized Use of Trails Not Suitable Not Suitable Not Suitable

Motorized or 

Mechanized Cross 

Country Travel

Not Suitable Not Suitable Not Suitable

Nonmotorized 

Mechanical Vehicle Use 

of Roads and Trails

Suitable Suitable Suitable

1. Includes the use chainsaws, handsaws, axes, and loppers.

2. Includes the use of mechanized equipment. Only where clearly needed for ecological restoration and maintenance or public safety.

3. Only where clearly needed for ecological restoration and maintenance or public safety.

4. Including trailheads, day use areas, lookouts, district offices.

5. Designated Areas: existing uses and areas only.
Part 2—Strategy

Giant Sequoia National Monument Management Plan

43

Land Use or Activity Overlapping Land Allocations/Management Areas

Wildland Urban Intermix: 

Defense Zone

Wildland Urban Intermix: 

Threat Zone

Tribal Fuels Emphasis 

Treatment Area

Temporary Special 

Uses(6)

Suitable Suitable Suitable

Commodity and Commercial Uses

Communication Sites Suitable Suitable Suitable

Utility Corridors Suitable Suitable Suitable

Livestock Grazing Suitable Suitable Suitable

Wood Products 

(firewood)

Suitable Suitable Suitable

Special Forest Products Suitable Suitable Suitable

Minerals Exploration 

and Development

Not Suitable Not Suitable Not Suitable

6. Includes uses such as weddings, fishing events, historical reenactments, other recreation events, or outfitter guides.

Strategies and Objectives

This part of the Monument Plan sets forth strategies 

and objectives for achieving or maintaining the 

desired conditions for the Monument, as established 

in Part 1. Strategies describe the general approach 

that the responsible official will use to achieve the 

desired conditions. Strategies establish priorities in 

management effort and a sense of focus for objectives. 

Objectives exist for some, but not all, resource areas. 

Objectives are concise projections of measurable, 

time-specific outcomes that are consistent with the 

strategies. They provide a way to measure progress 

toward achieving or maintaining desired conditions. 

When a time frame has been provided for meeting an 

objective, the intent is to meet the objective within 

that time frame, or as soon as reasonably possible 

thereafter, and as funding allows.

In response to the Proclamation, the management 

strategies and objectives are focused on the resource 

areas affected by this plan amendment. These resource 

areas are:

● Scientific Study and Adaptive Management

● Vegetation, including Giant Sequoias; Fire and 

Fuels; and Wildlife and Plant Habitat

● Air Quality

● Range

● Hydrological Resources

● Groundwater

● Geological Resources

● Paleontological Resources

● Soils

● Human Use (including Recreation, Scenery, and 

Socioeconomics)

● Cultural Resources

● Transportation (including the Transportation 

System and Trails and Motorized Recreation)

● Special Areas, including Special Interest Areas
Part 2—Strategy

Management Plan Giant Sequoia National Monument

44

Scientific Study and Adaptive Management

Figure 3 Overview of Adaptive Management Based on Scientific Study and Monitoring

Table 6 Strategies for Scientific Study and Adaptive Management

Strategy

1. Propose scientific study and management activities that respond to the advice provided in the science 

advisories, where applicable and practicable. Use the joint strategic framework, “A Strategic Framework for 

Science in Support of Management in the Southern Sierra Nevada Ecoregion,” developed with the National 

Park Service, to incorporate current and new science. 

2. Encourage research to assist in defining agents of change, such as climate, invasive species, ecological 

succession, and air pollution.

3. Foster partnerships dealing with science.

4. Conduct research regarding objects of interest, including paleontological, cultural, and geological resources, 

for which there is little current science available. 

5. Conduct social science and recreation research to better understand connection to place (including objects of 

interest), levels of acceptable change, and future use trends.

6. Conduct research to determine whether species shifts are occurring and whether these are associated with 

climate change factors, such as shifts in habitat characteristics.
Part 2—Strategy

Giant Sequoia National Monument Management Plan

45

Strategy

7. Study the archaeological sites recording Native American occupation and adaptations to this complex 

landscape, and the roles prehistoric peoples played in shaping the ecosystems on which they depended 

(Clinton 2000, p. 24095).

8. Study the archaeological remains of historic logging and giant sequoia regeneration since logging, and study 

forest resilience to large-scale logging and the consequences of different approaches to forest restoration 

(Clinton 2000, p. 24097).

9. Conduct research “to understand the consequences of different approaches to forest restoration...” and “the 

consequences of different approaches to mitigating these conditions [unprecedented buildup of surface fuels, 

increased hazard of wildfires] and restoring natural forest resilience” (Clinton 2000, p. 24095-24096).

Table 7 Objectives for Scientific Study and Adaptive Management

Objective

1. During the life of the Monument Plan,(1) encourage and coordinate at least two scientific studies in the giant 

sequoia groves to research resilience to agents of change such as fire, drought, insects, disease, and climate 

change. Design experiments to investigate the responses, including regeneration, of giant sequoias to changes 

in temperature and moisture, and the complex interactions of these two factors. Publish results within 10 years 

of study initiation. 

2. During the life of the Monument Plan, continue and expand research on the effects of management activities 

on Pacific fisher and its habitat to better understand how these activities influence individuals, important habitat 

components, prey resources, and competition with other predators. Evaluate the research findings as available 

and refine management direction.

3. Within 5 years, encourage and coordinate scientific studies in giant sequoia regeneration and in the growth of 

older giant sequoias subjected to disturbance.

4. During the life of the Monument Plan, use landscape analysis information to identify opportunities for sitespecific ecological restoration projects.

Vegetation, including Giant Sequoias; Fire and Fuels; and 

Wildlife and Plant Habitat

Vegetation Strategies

Table 8 Strategies Specific to Giant Sequoias

Strategy

1. As part of the fuel load reduction plan for each giant sequoia grove,(1) emphasize the protection of:

● Large giant sequoia trees

● Large trees of other species, including pines, red firs, incense cedars, and black oaks. 

2. Protect naturally-occurring isolated giant sequoias located outside of grove administrative boundaries and 

near areas of human use from vegetation management activities, giving special consideration to the root 

systems. When practical, preserve them within wildlife clumps or within areas reserved to meet seral stage 

diversity requirements.

1. Using the grove administrative boundary.

1. The work toward achieving the objectives in this plan will begin upon plan implementation. When a time frame has been provided for 

meeting an objective, the intent is to meet the objective within that time frame, or as soon as reasonably possible thereafter.

Vegetation management, fuels management, and 

wildlife habitat management are intricately linked, 

relying on the structure, function, and composition 

of vegetation. Because of this, the strategies and 

objectives for these three resource areas are covered 

together in this section.
Part 2—Strategy

Management Plan Giant Sequoia National Monument

46

Strategy

5. Design forest management techniques to forestall impacts to high value resources, such as retention of 

named giant sequoia trees.

6. Improve the potential for forest ecosystems to return to desired conditions following natural disturbances, 

such as through the use of prescribed fire, managed wildfire, or mechanical treatments to reduce ladder fuels or 

tree densities.

7. Restore essential ecological processes and patterns (for example, structural heterogeneity) to reduce 

impacts of current stressors.

8. Provide mitigation measures for minimizing short-term greenhouse gas emissions and promoting long-term 

sequestration of carbon resulting from site-specific project activities.

Table 9 Strategies for Climate Change/Carbon Sequestration

Table 10 Strategies for Ecological Restoration

Strategy

9. Accomplish ecological restoration, in part, through the reduction of fuels by decreasing down woody material, 

ladder fuels, and brush.

10. Promote heterogeneity in plantations and young stands by encouraging more diversity in species 

composition and age. Reduce stand density in young stands and encourage shade-intolerant species such as 

giant sequoia, pine, and oak.

11. Improve stand resilience and health by varying spacing of trees both inside and outside of giant sequoia 

groves.

12. Encourage natural regeneration of tree species, including giant sequoia. In areas where natural 

regeneration is not likely, use planting as determined in site-specific project analysis.

Strategy

3. Provide additional protection to the named giant 

sequoias—Boole, President Bush, and Chicago 

Stump—from fuels reduction activities, wildfires, 

and from human disturbance that can damage tree 

health, such as peeling bark and trampling on roots. 

Protect these specific trees by pulling fuels away 

from the base of the trees or removing ladder fuels 

that could promote a crown fire in them.

4. Give the designation of “grove” to any detached 

naturally-occurring group (10 or more giant 

sequoia trees, with at least 4 trees with a dbh of 3 

feet or larger) located outside an existing grove’s 

administrative boundary. If previously unknown 

giant sequoia trees of any size and number 

are discovered outside a grove’s administrative 

boundary, modify the boundary according to the 

standards and guidelines.

Develop a zone of influence (ZOI) within which 

key ecological processes, structures, and 

functions should be evaluated to ensure that the 

giant sequoia groves are preserved, protected, 

and restored (North et al. 2000). Picture 22 The Boole Tree
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1. Consistent with the Decision Tree narrative (pp. 82-84), whenever naturally-ignited wildfires occur and are available to manage for resource 

benefits, those managed wildfires will be used first for ecological restoration. These three tools can be used individually or in combination 

based on site-specific analysis and existing conditions.

Strategy

14. Continue using integrated pest management, allowing carefully controlled, limited use of pesticides to 

rapidly control pests and encourage a natural environment.

Table 11 Strategy for Pest Management

Vegetation Objectives (by Type)

Vegetation and fuels management focus on the first 

two decades of time for ecological restoration, tree 

and stand resiliency, and the reduction of surface and 

ladder fuels.

Table 12 Objectives for Giant Sequoias

Objective

1. Within 20 years, complete a grove-specific fuel load reduction plan for each giant sequoia grove in the 

Monument. 

2. Within 20 years, accomplish ecological restoration projects in the WUI defense zone in the giant sequoia 

groves. 

3. Within 20 years, accomplish ecological restoration projects in 25 percent of the giant sequoia groves outside 

of the WUI defense zone. 

Table 13 Objectives for Mixed Conifer

Objective

4. Manage vegetation to:

● Change approximately 2 percent of the mixed conifer types to an early seral phase in giant sequoia groves 

per decade.

● Change approximately 1 percent of the mixed conifer types to an early seral phase outside of groves per 

decade.

● Change approximately 10 percent of the mixed conifer types to reduce fuels and increase tree growing 

space in groves per decade.

● Change approximately 6 percent of the mixed conifer types to reduce fuels and increase tree growing space 

outside of groves per decade.

Table 14 Objective for Blue Oak–Interior Live Oak

Objective

5. For the life of the plan, keep the total acreage of the blue oak vegetation type stable.

Table 15 Objectives for Chaparral–Live Oak

Objective

6. Manage vegetation to change approximately 6 percent of the chaparral vegetation types to an early seral 

phase outside of groves per decade.

Strategy

13. Promote resiliency in Monument ecosystems by using the following tools, in order of priority: managed 

wildfire (when available), prescribed fire, mechanical treatment.(1)
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Table 16 Objectives for Montane Hardwood–Conifer

Objective

7. Manage vegetation to:

● Change approximately 24 percent of the montane hardwood-conifer vegetation types to an early seral phase 

in giant sequoia groves per decade.

● Change approximately 2 percent of the montane hardwood-conifer types to an early seral phase outside of 

groves per decade.

● Change approximately 12 percent of the montane hardwood-conifer types to reduce fuels and increase tree 

growing space in groves per decade.

● Change approximately 9 percent of the montane hardwood-conifer types to reduce fuels and increase tree 

growing space outside of groves per decade.

Table 17 Objectives for Red Fir

Objective

8. Manage vegetation to:

● Change approximately 3 percent of the red fir vegetation types to an early seral phase in giant sequoia 

groves per decade.

● Change approximately 1 percent of the red fir types to an early seral phase outside of groves per decade.

● Change approximately 1 percent of the red fir types to reduce fuels and increase tree growing space in 

groves per decade.

● Change approximately 1 percent of the red fir types to reduce fuels and increase tree growing space outside 

of groves per decade.

Strategy

1. Focus fire prevention programs on recreation use and residential areas.

2. When the use of fire is not appropriate (poor air quality days) or desirable (an abundance of ladder fuels that 

pose a threat to public safety or adjacent communities), mechanical treatments(1) can be used to accomplish 

fuel management objectives.

3. Promote a range of natural fire effects by allowing low, moderate, and high intensity fires to burn in the 

Monument.

4. For fires started by natural ignitions (lightning strikes), determine whether to allow them to burn on a case-bycase basis.

5. Conduct prescribed burning at various times of the year, and with different prescriptions (firing patterns), to 

maximize biodiversity and to avoid undesirable changes from repeated burning at the same time of year.

6. Avoid aerial application of retardant or foam within 300 feet of waterways. This does not require the helicopter 

or air tanker pilot in command to fly in such a way as to endanger his or her aircraft, other aircraft or structures, 

or compromise ground personnel safety. 

1. Mechanical treatment is the use of self-propelled equipment.

Fire and Fuels Strategies

Table 18 Strategies for Fire and Fuels

Table 19 Strategies for Ecological Restoration

Strategy

7. Restore fuel conditions to allow fire to burn in its characteristic pattern and allow fire to resume its ecological 

role.
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Table 21 Strategies Specific to WUI Management

Strategy

14. Allow low, moderate, and high intensity fires to burn in the Monument, including within giant sequoia groves.

15. Provide a minimum 100-foot defensible space (CFR Section 4291) for all structures on administrative sites, 

structures authorized by permit, and for developments adjacent to National Forest System lands.

Fire and Fuels Objectives

Table 22 Objectives for Fire and Fuels

Objective

1. Meet at least once annually with cooperating agencies to coordinate prescribed burning plans for projects 

located on adjacent lands and to coordinate fire protection activities.

2. Use grove-specific fuel load reduction plans to determine where mechanical treatments are needed prior to 

the re-introduction of fire.

3. Re-introduce fire to achieve ecological restoration goals in the giant sequoia groves on an average of 5 

percent of grove acres per year, according to their fuel load reduction plans.

Table 20 Strategies for Fuels Reduction

Strategy

11. Locate fuel treatments and manage wildfires (when available) across broad landscapes so that the spread 

and intensity of wildfire is reduced.

12. Locate the tribal fuels emphasis treatment area (TFETA) along the northern, eastern, and southern 

boundaries of the Tule River Indian Reservation (see following map). Focus fuel treatments in the TFETAto slow 

the spread of fire and to protect the objects of interest in the Monument, the reservation, and their watersheds 

from severe fire effects. The first priority for fuel reduction treatments in the TFETA is those areas within 1⁄4 mile 

of the reservation boundary with high and moderate fire susceptibility, and in the Long Canyon area.

13. Use the following tools for fuels reduction, in order of priority: managed wildfire (when available), prescribed 

fire, mechanical treatment.(1)

1. Consistent with the Decision Tree narrative (pp. 82-84), whenever naturally-ignited wildfires occur and are available to manage for resource 

benefits, those managed wildfires will be used first for ecological restoration. These three tools can be used individually or in combination 

based on site-specific analysis and existing conditions.

Strategy

8. Manage fire and fuels to produce a vegetation mosaic of age classes, tree sizes, and species composition to 

protect the objects of interest and help maintain environmental, social, and economic benefits, such as those 

associated with tourism.

9. Manage some high-intensity fires on a limited basis and tolerate relatively high mortality to reduce fuels or to 

improve the diversity of vegetation and habitat characteristics in the Monument.

10. Prioritize treatments for fuels reduction and ecological restoration by land allocations/management areas as 

follows:

1. WUI defense zones

2. TFETA areas of high and moderate fire susceptibility within 1⁄4-mile of the reservation boundary (see 

following map) 

3. WUI threat zone

4. Giant sequoia groves (not previously treated in 1 through 3)

5. TFETA areas of high fire susceptibility (not previously treated in 2)

6. Old forest emphasis areas (not previously treated in 1 through 5)
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Map 3 Tribal Fuels Emphasis Treatment Area
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Prioritizing Fuel Load Reduction in 

Giant Sequoia Groves

The MSA and the Proclamation both recognized the 

need for fuels reduction treatments in the Monument 

and, in particular, in the giant sequoia groves. The 

MSA directed that the groves be inventoried and 

evaluated for their fuel load build-up. “Based on this 

inventory and evaluation, Groves, or parts of Groves, 

with risks of catastrophic fire and/or exclusion of 

new giant sequoia regeneration because of unnatural 

fuel load build-up will be identified and prioritized 

for fuel load reduction treatment.” The Proclamation 

discussed the build-up of fuels as a reason for forest 

restoration.

...a century of fire suppression has led to an 

unprecedented failure in sequoia reproduction 

in otherwise undisturbed groves...These giant 

sequoia groves and the surrounding forest 

provide an excellent opportunity to understand 

the consequences of different approaches to 

forest restoration. These forests need restoration 

to counteract the effects of a century of fire 

suppression and logging. Fire suppression has 

caused forests to become denser in many areas, 

with increased dominance of shade-tolerant 

species. Woody debris has accumulated, causing an 

unprecedented buildup of surface fuels. One of the 

most immediate consequences of these changes is 

an increased hazard of wildfires of a severity that 

was rarely encountered in pre-Euroamerican times 

(Clinton 2000, p. 24095).

The MSA required a grove inventory for each 

grove. All fieldwork for these inventories and data 

analysis have been completed, providing better sitespecific information on fuel loading, giant sequoia 

regeneration, and large tree abundance. Although the 

MSA requested an inventory of every giant sequoia 

tree over three feet in diameter, this was only done in 

two of the smaller groves, Cunningham and Agnew. 

The large, complex area covered by groves made a 

100 percent inventory prohibitive in terms of both 

time and money. The rest of the groves were sampled 

using standard forest inventory procedures, with plots 

distributed throughout the grove to obtain reliable 

estimates of species abundance and distribution. 

Preliminary results from these inventories suggest 

that fuel loading is generally high or very high in 

the groves, and giant sequoia regeneration is sparse 

except in larger openings or plantations.

The MSA required an approved fuel load reduction 

plan to use mechanical treatment methods in giant 

sequoia groves. The Black Mountain Giant Sequoia 

Grove Fuel Load Reduction Evaluation (2008) was 

developed to meet this requirement. This evaluation 

can be used as a template for future sequoia grove fuel 

reduction plans.

Each fuel load reduction plan will include a 

description of existing conditions and the need 

for treatment within the groves as well as the area 

surrounding the groves. As displayed in the Black 

Mountain Giant Sequoia Grove Fuel Reduction 

Evaluation, the following condition information and 

data should be included in each sequoia grove plan.

● Fire history

● Fire return interval departure (FRID)

● Fire behavior

● Fuel loading (current grove inventories)

● Fuel treatment goals

The most recent inventories of fuel load will be 

used to develop each grove’s fuel load reduction 

plan. However, since most groves have fuel loads 

that exceed desirable levels, this data will not likely 

be a deciding factor in prioritizing the groves for 

treatment. Similarly, the fire return interval departure 

(FRID) will not be used in prioritizing groves for 

treatment because almost 90 percent of the groves 

are classified as either high or extreme FRID. In 

addition, forest health, as determined from the most 

recent forest aerial detection surveys, does not show 

a manageable difference in tree mortality between 

groves that could be attributed to insect or disease.

The identification and prioritization of groves or 

parts of groves for fuel reduction treatments will be 

based on the fire susceptibility in each grove and 

its surrounding watershed(s). Fire susceptibility 

considers the expected flame length (hazard) of a 

wildfire burning in the current level of fuels, the 

risk of fire occurrence, and how severe a wildfire is 

espected to be in a given location. Fire severity is 

defined primarily by elevation, because the amount of 

moisture and the temperature differ by elevation. Fire 
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Wildlife and Plant Habitat Strategies

Table 23 Strategies for Wildlife and Plant Habitat

Strategy

1. Maintain and improve habitat for endangered and threatened plant and animal species on federal and state 

lists to meet objectives set forth in their recovery and management plans. 

2. Protect, increase, and perpetuate old forest ecosystems and provide for the diversity of native plant and 

animal species associated with old forest ecosystems.

3. Protect high value wildlife habitat from management activities using species-specific standards and 

guidelines based on land allocations such as PACs, HRCAs, den site buffers.

4. Protect high quality fisher habitat from any adverse effects from management activities, evaluating the effects 

of site-specific projects with models appropriate to the scale of the project. 

5. To protect aquatic, riparian, and meadow ecosystems, use streamside management zones, the aquatic 

management strategy, and the riparian conservation objectives for riparian conservation areas (RCAs) and 

critical aquatic refuges (CARs).

6. Manage California condor habitat following the most current U.S. Department of the Interior (USDI) Fish 

and Wildlife Service California Condor Recovery Plan. Contribute to the recovery of the California condor by 

protecting roosting and potential nesting sites. Include the management of historic use areas, such as the 

Starvation Grove historic nest site and the Lion Ridge roost area. 

7. Manage wetlands and meadow habitat for willow flycatchers and other species following the standards and 

guidelines from the 1988 Forest Plan, as modified by the 1990 MSA and the 2004 SNFPA.

susceptibility is an appropriate tool for prioritizing the 

groves for treatment because it often varies between 

groves, it can be measured on the ground, and it can 

be estimated in models.

It is important to note that fire susceptibility will vary 

over time. An insect outbreak that causes extensive 

mortality to associated trees in a grove may increase 

the fire susceptibility there. Changes in managed 

animal species may change treatment priorities in 

certain groves. Changing conditions may change the 

fire susceptibility in any particular grove, but because 

fire susceptibility is so closely related to the desired 

conditions for many resources, it is an important 

decision tool. Fire susceptibility can be used to help 

evaluate the potential for damage to the objects of 

interest, residential or recreational facilities, soils, 

and watersheds. Fire susceptibility can also serve as 

a measurable factor in projects designed to encourage 

canopy openings and early seral habitat with hotter, 

more severe fires. Fire susceptibility is related to the 

regeneration of giant sequoia and pines within groves. 

Fuels treatments that reduce fire susceptibility may 

also produce site conditions that allow the roots of 

tree seedlings to expand in mineral soil and adequate 

light to reach the seedlings for height growth.

Other factors that will be considered when prioritizing 

the groves for treatment include, but are not limited 

to, slope, aspect, tree canopy cover, forest health, 

fuel loading, access, cooperative agreements with 

adjacent landowners or other parties, funding 

opportunities, political and public pressure, safety 

concerns, recreation opportunities, and imminent 

threat from wildfire. Various resource objectives and 

values may be most appropriate to consider at the 

site-specific project level of analysis. For example, a 

line officer may choose to treat a grove with a lower 

fire susceptibility rating for the purposes of recreation, 

tree regeneration, or project efficiency. However, for 

every site-specific project in the Monument, decisions 

for fuels treatments that include tree removal must 

be based on determinations that they are “clearly 

needed for ecological restoration and maintenance or 

public safety” (Clinton 2000, p. 24097). Restoring 

more natural conditions and protecting the objects of 

interest and communities fulfill the needs identified in 

the Proclamation.
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Air Quality

Table 25 Strategies for Air Quality

Strategy

1. Avoid prescribed burning on high visitor use days.

2. Convey condition and trend information of sensitive resources to the U.S. Environmental Protection 

Agency, California Air Resources Board, and the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District for regulatory 

consideration.

3. Use ambient air quality monitoring, in collaboration with research, to understand broad southern Sierra air 

pollution trends and the contribution of smoke to the total pollution load.

Table 26 Objective for Air Quality

Objective

1. As part of managing prescribed fire and wildfire, develop actions with local air pollution control districts that 

minimize public exposure to atmospheric pollutants.

Range

Table 27 Strategies for Range

Strategy

1. Maintain or enhance the productivity of all Monument ranges through adequate protection of the objects of 

interest and the soil, water, and vegetative resources.

2. Contribute to the stability of the ranching community by recognizing its value as part of our heritage, its 

contribution of food and fiber, and its maintenance of open space.

3. Utilize management systems that ensure cost-effective management of suitable rangelands.

4. Manage rangeland in meadows following the standards and guidelines from the Forest Plan, as modified by 

the 1990 MSA and the 2004 SNFPA.

Wildlife and Plant Habitat Objectives

Table 24 Objectives for Wildlife and Plant Habitat

Objective

1. Within 3 years, complete a baseline inventory for invasive species within the Monument.

2. Over the next 10 years, maintain or increase the number of acres of old forest habitat (defined as CWHR 

vegetation size classes 4, 5, and 6). Maintain structural features important to late forest species including: 

multiple layers of vegetation, snags, down woody debris and dense canopy cover.

Strategy

8. Cooperate with other agencies and researchers on rare species conservation (e.g., the Southern Sierra 

Nevada Fisher Working Group, the Pacific Southwest Research Station, and the California Department of Fish 

and Game).

9. Minimize effects to TES plant species and their habitat. Restore and enhance suitable habitat.

10. Minimize the spread of existing infestations and the introduction of invasive non-native species (noxious 

weeds).
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Hydrological Resources

Table 28 Strategies for Hydrological Resources

Strategy

1. Restore streams, meadows, wetlands, and other special aquatic features to their desired conditions 

whenever possible. 

2. Design hydrologic restoration projects to improve water storage and retention in riparian and wetland areas 

for longer flow duration (i.e., upgrading an unstable-sensitive-degraded system to a stable-sensitive system).

3. Maintain sustainable riparian conditions for giant sequoia ecosystems.

4. Manage stream channels to maintain riparian vegetation, transport sediment, and ensure streambank 

stability.

5. Create a network of long-term monitoring sites within watersheds to determine the current state of riparian 

and wetland resources and habitat conditions.

6. Determine streambank erosion rates to define baseline conditions and determine if management activities 

have resulted in change. 

7. Determine channel geometry and discharge relationships to define baseline conditions and determine if 

management activities have resulted in change. 

8. Provide for a renewable supply of down logs that can reach the stream channel and provide habitat in 

riparian areas.

9. Protect aquatic, riparian, and meadow ecosystems, using the Aquatic Management Strategy, Riparian 

Conservation Areas (RCAs), Riparian Conservation Objectives (RCOs), and Critical Aquatic Refuges (CARs).

10. Manage riparian conservation areas and critical aquatic refuges for species dependent on those areas, 

while reducing the risks associated with wildfires and allowing for ecological restoration.

Table 29 Objectives for Hydrological Resources

Objective

1. During the life of the Monument Plan, inventory 10 percent of the perennial streams in 6th-field watersheds to 

determine existing condition.

2. During the life of the Monument Plan, assess meadows for hydrologic function and prioritize ecological 

restoration needs.

3. During the life of the Monument Plan, based on assessment, restore hydrologic function in priority meadows 

to enhance riparian habitat.

Groundwater

Table 30 Strategies for Groundwater

Strategy

1. Determine patterns of recharge and discharge and minimize disruptions to groundwater levels that are critical 

for wetland integrity.

2. Determine the groundwater levels, within a range of natural variability, that provide base flows to maintain 

and enhance the condition of groundwater-dependent resources and their habitat.

3. Manage springs and their riparian areas as integrated systems.

4. Restore those groundwater-dependent ecosystems, such as meadows and giant sequoia groves with 

campgrounds, damaged by prior land uses. 
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Geological Resources

Table 32 Strategies for Geological Resources

Strategy

1. Identify areas where caves, domes, spires, soda springs, and hot springs are located and can be used by 

recreationists, while protecting and preserving these sites.

2. Enhance opportunities for interpretation and education, including brochures and signs, of geological 

resources (cave ecosystems, domes, and spires), emphasizing conservation practices and safe cave use.

3. Keep Church Cave and Boyden Cave open for public use under an appropriate permit system.

4. Identify and minimize potential geologic hazards including flood hazards, landslide hazards, and naturallyoccurring asbestos (NOA) hazards within the Monument.

5. Establish the Windy Gulch Geological Area as a Special Area.

Table 33 Objectives for Geological Resources

Objective

1. In 2 years, use existing inventories to make a determination of significance for the known caves in the 

Monument.

2. On an annual basis, evaluate the condition of Church Cave and Boyden Cave, ensuring gates are secured 

and cave features are protected.

3. Within 5 years, develop a cave management plan for the significant caves in the Windy Gulch Geological 

Area.

Paleontological Resources

Table 34 Strategies for Paleontological Resources

Strategy

1. Retain areas of significant sedimentation and meadow vegetation deposits.

2. During cave inventories, conduct paleontological evaluations of any fossilized material found.

Table 35 Objective for Paleontological Resources

Objective

1. Initiate surveys to identify the location and type of paleontological resources in the Monument, focusing on 

areas such as meadows and caves most likely to contain these resources. Use survey data to evaluate risk 

factors to these resources.

Table 31 Objectives for Groundwater

Objective

1. During evaluation of site-specific projects with the potential to affect groundwater (such as recreational 

development), determine groundwater conditions and evaluate potential effects on groundwater levels and 

groundwater-dependent ecosystems.

2. During the life of the Monument Plan, evaluate the effects of groundwater pumping on groundwaterdependent resources in 10 wells near giant sequoia groves, meadows, or springs.
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Soils

Table 36 Strategies for Soils

Strategy

1. Protect and improve soils for continuous forest and rangeland productivity and favorable water flows.

2. Maintain a sufficient level of soil cover in the form of fine organic matter to prevent erosion, conserve 

nutrients, and permit infiltration of precipitation into the soil.

3. Minimize the physical movement or displacement of soil during management activities.

4. Maintain soil porosity for plant growth and hydrologic soil function.

5. Maintain and restore wetland soil moisture conditions, such as in areas along creeks and rivers, and in wet 

meadows and fens.

Human Use

Table 37 Strategies for Human Use

Strategy

1. Provide visitors with opportunities to recreate in a variety of settings, from primitive to highly developed areas.

2. Develop and manage opportunities for public enjoyment.

3. Provide for wide and varied public use of monument resources and opportunities, while protecting sensitive 

resources and the objects of interest.

4. Use the Monument recreation niche settings in accordance with current recreation management direction: 

Rivers and Lakes, Scenic Routes, Great Western Divide, Lloyd Meadow, Hume High Elevation, Wildlands, Front 

Country, and Kings River Special Management Area OHV.

5. Maintain the assigned Recreation Opportunity Spectrum (ROS) classes (semi-primitive non-motorized, semiprimitive motorized, roaded natural, and rural) (see ROS maps).

6. Manage for new developed recreation facilities as visitor use increases.

7. Accommodate the increasing demand for more specialized and diverse recreation opportunities, in order to 

provide flexibility to accommodate new and changing recreation activities as they emerge in the future.

8. Balance diverse users and a wide variety of uses, accommodate use through all seasons, and minimize 

conflicts among recreational users.

9. Maintain or create scenic vistas as necessary to meet the needs of the public and improve scenery in areas 

of high public concern.

10. In all vegetation treatment and fuels reduction projects consider improving scenery resources especially in 

areas that do not meet established scenic integrity objectives (SIOs).

11. Provide for the protection of resources, ecological restoration, and the development of stewardship under 

applicable law and policy, so that people care about the land and its resources.

12. In accordance with the Sequoia National Forest Interpretive Plan (USDA Forest Service 2008a) and 

the Forest Service conservation education guidance, provide opportunities for interpretation that reflect 

scientifically-supported scholarship and research data.

a. Convey clear messages regarding natural and cultural resources and multiple use. Use multi-media 

interpretation and educational programs to develop stewardship of resources, to ensure their present and 

future protection, and to enhance public enjoyment of this unique place.

b. Promote and integrate awareness of Monument history, appreciation for biological processes, education 

about past and current human use of the Monument, and education about the distinctive yet interrelated 

disruptive forces involved with the use and protection of resources.
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Strategy

13. Emphasize diverse public access, partnerships, and place-based recreation opportunities, focusing on 

connection to place and the recreation settings (Monument’s recreation niche).

14. Establish use fees that are compatible with cost, and reduce public competition with the private sector.

15. Continue to support and participate in employment and training programs for youth, older Americans, and 

the disadvantaged, in response to national employment and training needs and opportunities existing in forest 

surroundings.

16. Develop partnerships to provide a spectrum of recreation experiences through a variety of providers, 

including the Forest Service, associations, non-government organizations, permit holders, volunteers, and other 

community groups.

17. Support the efforts of non-profit, public benefit organizations promoting conservation, education, and 

recreational enjoyment of the Monument and the surrounding southern Sierra Nevada region.

18. Develop partnerships to increase interpretive materials and programs that reach larger segments of the 

general public and to foster stewardship.

19. Enhance opportunities to connect people to the land, especially those in urban areas and of diverse cultures 

(connect people to place).

20. Work with gateway communities and communities within the Monument to help foster economic 

opportunities.

21. Develop bi-lingual(1) communication tools, including publications, information boards, and radio spots.

22. Encourage communities of color, focusing on youth, to increase involvement in environmental education 

programs to educate and develop the citizen steward.

23. Designate and develop a Children’s Forest in the Monument to provide a place where youth and families 

can participate in and explore forest-related projects. The criteria for the location of a Children’s Forest include:

● In or in close proximity to a giant sequoia grove

● Within 1/2 mile of a road

● Close to an existing parking lot or a suitable area for one

● Close to developed recreation facilities

● Away from high use, congested areas

● Close to water source

● Year-round access

● Does not conflict with existing uses (such as grazing)

1. English–Spanish

Table 38 Objectives for Human Use

Objective

1. During site-specific project planning, actively engage communities of color in the central valley of California in 

management planning and conservation education projects.

2. During site-specific project planning, develop partnerships for project implementation.

3. During the life of the Monument Plan, explore the designation and development of a Children’s Forest in the 

Monument.
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Communication with Communities 

of Color

The Sierra Nevada is the third fastest growing region 

in California. Some estimates predict the population 

will triple by 2040. The area is experiencing 

rapid retiree and commuter resident growth, and 

large intermittent recreational populations that 

increase resource pressures. For some time, the 

Sierra Nevada’s economy has been diversifying 

from primarily a resource-based economy to one 

increasingly dependent on tourism and related 

services; specialized goods and services tied to 

the state economy; and health, financial, and other 

services needed by the growing population. Many 

parts of the region face significant threats from 

natural disaster, in particular the risk of catastrophic 

fire. There is increasing conflict over various land 

use decisions in certain portions of the region and 

over regional resource conservation strategies (Sierra 

Nevada Conservancy Revised Strategic Plan March 

2009—A Key Sierra Nevada Fact).

Most visitors to national forests, in particular to 

locations like the Giant Sequoia National Monument, 

are more likely to be white or Caucasian than 

any other ethnic or racial group. However, as the 

population increases in California, in particular the 

Central Valley (Kern, Tulare, and Kern counties), 

more people represent groups of color (communities 

of color). There are a number of reasons for this 

disparity in use levels, including a lack of information 

about outdoor recreational opportunities (Chavez 

et al. 2008). In the 2000 census, California was 47 

percent non-Hispanic white and 32 percent Hispanic. 

Most of the central San Joaquin Valley had even 

higher Hispanic percentages—about 38 percent in 

Kern County, 44 percent in Fresno, Kings and Madera 

counties, 45 percent in Merced County, and a majority 

of 51 percent in Tulare County. The continuing shift 

toward an increasingly diverse society elevates the 

importance of ensuring that information is provided 

through means that are most appropriate to each 

ethnic and racial group. The Monument will need to 

produce information, recreation sites, and facilities for 

this increase in communities of color.

Research shows that communicating with a diverse 

public requires some variation in media sources to be 

used as points of contact for reaching different ethnic 

groups. The heavy reliance on family and friends, 

particularly in the Hispanic community, translates to 

the production of various communication tools.

Agency culture is seen as a barrier for multiple 

reasons including the underrepresentation of nonwhites as employees delivering and managing 

recreation opportunities, communication and 

education methods that are a poor fit with the needs 

and preferences of communities of color, planning for 

a “traditional white” visitor experience, and a general 

lack of feeling welcomed (Allison and Hibbler 2004, 

Roberts 2003, Tierney et al. 1998).

To cross a wide variety of communities of color 

and expand communication opportunities, the 

Monument will implement the following strategies to 

communicate with communities of color:

1. Develop bi-lingual communication tools 

(publications, information boards, radio spots);

2. Establish personal contacts in the community who 

can be effective in disseminating information on 

recreation opportunities;

3. Produce newspaper articles to print media, 

particularly in Spanish;

4. Establish partnerships with Hispanic Chambers of 

Commerce;

5. Involve and pro-actively encourage communities 

of color in youth environmental education 

programs to educate and develop the citizen 

steward (e.g., MyForest Summit).
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Table 40 Objective for Cultural Resources

Objective

1. Within 3 years, develop a Monument cultural resource management plan that includes identification, 

evaluation, and criteria for allocation of the resources to appropriate management categories. This plan will 

protect cultural resource values while allowing for public enjoyment.

Transportation System

Table 41 Strategies for Transportation System

Strategy

1. Size and maintain the road and trail system to minimize adverse resource effects, while providing appropriate 

public and administrative access to National Forest System lands and facilities within the Monument.

2. Promote aquatic organism passage at road stream crossings where needed.

3. Maintain roads with effective road drainage and erosion controls to conserve existing soil and reduce effects 

to adjacent riparian and aquatic systems.

4. Complete 6th-field watershed analyses and review the transportation system in the Monument using forestscale travel analysis to inform future opportunities for changes in road status, including changes in maintenance 

level, decommissioning, or conversion to trails.

5. Consult with local tribal governments and Native Americans to provide transportation and access needs for 

culturally important sites and resources.

Cultural Resources

Table 39 Strategies for Cultural Resources

Strategy

1. Manage cultural resources with a process including identification, evaluation, and allocation to appropriate 

management categories. 

2. Recognize cultural resources through National Register of Historic Places nomination, National Historic 

Landmark nomination, and other special designations as appropriate.

3. Provide opportunities for public use and enjoyment of cultural resources through education and outreach 

programs that promote resource stewardship. Focus on the need to protect cultural resources while 

simultaneously making them available to the public.

4. Provide for continued traditional use by Native American people and protect those places that are most 

important to local Native American people in maintaining their traditional culture. Seek partnerships with tribes 

to develop cultural education programs.

5. Protect cultural resources from wildfires and management activities associated with fuels reduction.

6. Develop a cultural resource management plan for the Monument that:

● Facilitates scientific research of cultural resources to increase understanding of past human cultures and 

environments.

● Uses cultural resource data to increase understanding of the evolution of ecosystems and to adapt 

management practices.

● Preserves and adaptively uses historic structures in place wherever possible; preserves the integrity and 

character-defining features of historic districts.

● Emphasizes partnerships with tribes to develop cultural education programs.
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Management Plan Giant Sequoia National Monument

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Table 42 Objectives for Transportation System

Objective

1. Within 2 years, complete travel analysis to determine the minimum necessary transportation system (Subpart 

A of the Travel Management Rule, 36 CFR 212.5) for the Monument.

2. Within 2 years, complete a Monument-wide watershed improvement needs inventory (WINI) to identify 

adverse effects to watersheds from roads and trails.

3. During the life of the Monument Plan, establish a sustainable and desirable off-highway vehicle (OHV) 

and over-snow vehicle (OSV) route system (on the existing road system), including loop opportunities where 

feasible and appropriate. 

Special Areas, including Special Interest Areas

Table 43 Strategies for Special Areas, including Special Interest Areas

Strategy

Proposed Moses Wilderness

1. Manage the Moses Inventoried Roadless Area within the Monument as a proposed wilderness, to preserve 

the wilderness characteristics until Congress acts.

Freeman Creek Botanical Area

2. Protect and manage this area for public use and enjoyment.

3. Limit vehicle use in the botanical area to existing roads, Forest Roads 20S78 and 22S82, in accordance with 

FSM 2372.4 (4).

Strategy

6. Coordinate transportation planning, management, and road decommissioning with Sequoia and Kings 

Canyon National Parks; other federal, state, and county agencies; and the Tule River Indian Tribe, to reduce 

traffic congestion and safety hazards, especially along major travelways.

7. Partner with state and local agencies to operate and maintain roads for four-season use where appropriate.

8. Provide appropriate parking facilities to meet projected use as determined through site-specific project 

analysis.

9. Base proposals for new roads on the need to provide access to recreation opportunities, other public use, or 

management activities, as appropriate to the purposes of the Monument.

10. Convert to trails or other uses, or decommission roads not needed to meet management objectives.

11. Emphasize opportunities for creating loop trails where feasible and appropriate.

12. Emphasize opportunities for creating loop roads where feasible and appropriate.

13. Provide and maintain regulatory, warning, directional, and information signing on roads for travelers’ use.

14. Manage the roads and trails system to allow:

● Both highway legal use and off-highway vehicle (OHV) use on designated roads.

● Over-snow vehicle (OSV) use on designated roads.

● Non-motorized mechanized vehicles (such as bicycles) on designated roads and trails.

Facilities Related Strategies

15. Maintain administrative facilities consistent with wilderness values.

16. Rehabilitate, replace, or relocate existing buildings to support management of the Monument.

17. Maintain buildings to at least the minimum level necessary to protect health and prevent building 

deterioration.
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Giant Sequoia National Monument Management Plan

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Table 44 Objectives for Special Areas, including Special Interest Areas

Objective

Proposed Moses Wilderness

1. In accordance with Forest Service Manual direction on wilderness proposals, complete the necessary 

process.

Freeman Creek Botanical Area

2. Within 5 years, develop a management plan for the Freeman Creek Botanical Area, including inventories and 

possible research opportunities.

Windy Gulch Geological Area

3. Within 5 years, develop a management plan for the Windy Gulch Geological Area, including inventories and 

possible research opportunities.

Additional Special Areas, including Special Interest Areas

4. Within five years, develop a management plan for the Moses Mountain Research Natural Area.

5. Within five years, prepare the establishment report for the South Mountaineer Creek area for submission to 

the Chief, as recommended by the Regional Research Natural Areas Committee for establishment.

Strategy

4. Manage existing plantations within the botanical area, as needed for ecological restoration, provided that no 

management prescription outside and up slope of giant sequoias will adversely affect the hydrology of the giant 

sequoias.

5. Develop partnership agreements with entities interested in promoting the botanical area.

6. Manage the Freeman Creek Trail within the Freeman Creek Botanical Area as Scenery Management System 

Concern Level 1.

Windy Gulch Geological Area

7. Protect the unique geologic features, including the limestone caverns, rare or endemic cave fauna and flora, 

and marble roof pendants.

8. Protect and manage this area for public use and enjoyment.

9. Provide opportunities to conduct research in the area for scientific study and understanding of cave 

ecosystems.

10. Conduct management activities, such as fuel and vegetation treatments, in the area to focus on the 

protection of the special and unique features within the area.

11. Continue to allow limited access to Church Cave, by permit, to approved cave trip leaders, until the 

management plan for the area is completed.

Additional Special Areas, including Special Interest Areas

12. Continue coordination with the National Park Service in on-site landmark evaluation studies for Moses 

Mountain. Protect and manage this candidate area as a national landmark until final resolution.
Part 2—Strategy

Management Plan Giant Sequoia National Monument

62

Sequoia National Forest. Because of the steep, rugged 

character of the area, trail access is extremely limited 

and use is very light.

Golden Trout Wilderness

Approximately 4,530 acres of the Golden Trout 

Wilderness are in the Monument. The Golden 

Trout Wilderness 

was designated 

by Congress in 

1978. Shared 

with the Inyo 

National Forest, 

it gets its name 

from the brightly 

colored native 

trout (California’s 

state fish) and its 

subspecies, the 

Little Kern golden 

trout, a federally 

listed threatened 

species, as well 

as the South Fork 

Kern golden trout. 

Elevations range 

from 4,700 feet 

at the Forks of the Kern River to 12,432 feet on Mt. 

Florence, the highest peak in the Sequoia National 

Forest. The entire Little Kern River Drainage lies 

within the Golden Trout Wilderness. The North Fork 

Kern and South Fork Kern Wild and Scenic Rivers 

bisect this wilderness. Approximately 150 miles of 

trails are located in the Golden Trout Wilderness 

(mostly outside of the Monument). Grey Meadow and 

Trout Meadows are located on this trail system and 

receive high use.

Kings Wild and Scenic River

All 5 miles of the Kings Wild and Scenic River lie 

along the northern boundary of the Monument. In 

1987, Congress designated this part of the Kings 

River, from the confluence of Middle Fork and South 

Fork Kings Rivers to Garlic Meadow Creek, as the 

Kings Wild and Scenic River. The Kings River is one 

Special Areas, including Special Interest 

Areas

Designated Special Areas

Special areas are places on National Forest System 

lands identified or designated because of their unique 

or special characteristics. These include wildernesses, 

wild and scenic river corridors, special management 

areas, research natural areas, backcountry (inventoried 

roadless areas), botanical areas, scenic byways, and 

geological areas. Special areas have their own sets of 

management direction.

Several congressionally designated areas are found 

entirely or partially within the Monument: the 

Monarch Wilderness, the Golden Trout Wilderness, 

the Kings Wild and Scenic River, the South Fork 

Kings Wild and Scenic River, the North Fork Kern 

Wild and Scenic River, and the Kings River Special 

Management Area. Within the Monument, the 

Sequoia National Forest manages approximately 

13,290 acres of wilderness, 80,300 acres of roadless 

area, and 4,670 acres of Wild and Scenic River 

Corridor. The 24,290 acres of the Kings River Special 

Management Area in the Monument are administered 

and managed by the Sierra National Forest.

Part or all of four giant sequoia groves are in the 

Monarch Wilderness and Agnew Roadless Area: 

Agnew, Monarch, Deer Meadow, and Evans 

Complex. The Golden Trout Wilderness contains part 

or all of three other groves: Maggie Mountain, Upper 

Tule, and Middle Tule.

Monarch Wilderness

Approximately 8,760 acres of the Monarch 

Wilderness are in the Monument. The Monarch 

Wilderness was established by Congress in the 

California Wilderness Act of 1984, created from 

the High Sierra Primitive Area and a portion of 

the Agnew Roadless Area. Shared with the Sierra 

National Forest, it is located 70 miles east of Fresno, 

California. Between November and April, the access 

road is closed because of snow. This is a scenically 

dramatic area rising from elevations of 4,300 feet 

along the South Fork of the Kings River to 11,080 

feet at Hogback Peak. The Monarch Wilderness 

contains the only occurrence of white-bark pine in the 
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Giant Sequoia National Monument Management Plan

63

prehistoric sites and a significant cultural resource 

area exist on the river. The state has designated the 

river as a Wild Trout Stream. Important peregrine 

falcon and golden eagle habitat exist in the area.

North Fork Kern Wild and Scenic 

River

Approximately 14 miles of the North Fork Kern 

Wild and Scenic River lie along the eastern boundary 

of the Monument. In 1987, Congress designated 

78.5 miles of the North Fork Kern River, from its 

headwaters in Sequoia National Park to the KernTulare County line, as the North Fork Kern Wild 

and Scenic River. More than 21 miles flow through 

wilderness, most of this section in a precipitous gorge, 

and only the lower 17 miles are accessible by road. 

The section of the Kern River between Lake Isabella 

and the Johnsondale Bridge is commonly called the 

Upperkern. Outstanding features for viewing include 

gray pines, scrub oaks, grass, and dry climate shrubs 

clinging to steep canyon walls, while cottonwoods 

and willows line the river.

Kings River Special Management 

Area (KRSMA)

About 24,290 acres of the KRSMA (of approximately 

48,000 total acres) are located within the northern 

portion of the Monument, adjacent to the Kings River. 

This special management area was created by Public 

Law 100-150 in 1987 to provide for public outdoor 

recreation use 

and enjoyment; 

for protection 

of the natural, 

archaeological, 

and scenic 

resources; 

and for fish 

and wildlife 

management. 

This public 

law permits 

off-highway 

vehicle (OHV) 

use on trails to 

the same extent 

and in the same 

location as 

was permitted 

of the largest rivers flowing down the western slopes 

of the Sierra Nevada and forms the boundary between 

the Sequoia and Sierra National Forests. The river 

is wooded, with premium whitewater and several 

cataracts. The Kings River is a state wild trout stream. 

Numerous Native American village sites and remnants 

of one of the longest logging flumes in the world 

are located in this system. Other historic artifacts 

create an area of historic and cultural significance. 

Whitewater 

rafting is popular 

in the lower 

reaches of the 

river corridor. 

The river flows 

through a wide 

canyon near Pine 

Flat. As the river 

ascends toward 

the confluence 

with the Middle 

Fork–South 

Fork, the canyon 

becomes more 

narrow and steep. 

Main ridges on 

both sides of the 

river are more 

than 5,000 feet in 

elevation above the river. The river exists in a freeflowing state with numerous rapids. Access is limited 

above Garlic Falls.

South Fork Kings Wild and Scenic 

River

Approximately 12 miles of the South Fork Kings Wild 

and Scenic River lie along the northern boundary 

of the Monument. In 1987, Congress designated 

40.5 miles of the South Fork Kings River, from 

its headwaters in Kings Canyon National Park to 

its confluence with Middle Fork and Main Kings 

Rivers, as the South Fork Kings Wild and Scenic 

River. The headwaters are in the Sequoia and Kings 

Canyon National Parks, above the timberline in a 

heavily glaciated basin. The river flows through one 

of the deepest and most classic glacial canyons in the 

nation, with several waterfalls and unique geological 

formations. The South Fork Kings River has complex 

floral diversity, with several rare species. Numerous 
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Management Plan Giant Sequoia National Monument

64

before enactment. This statute takes precedence 

over the Proclamation (Clinton 2000) that created 

the Monument, which prohibits OHVs from driving 

off designated roads. Therefore, within that portion 

of the special management area located within the 

Monument, OHV use may still occur on the 3.8 miles 

of Trails 27E04 and 27E05.

Other Special Areas

Backcountry (Inventoried Roadless 

Areas)

Roadless areas in the Sequoia National Forest were 

inventoried as part of the Roadless Area Review 

and Evaluation (RARE II) process. The California 

Wilderness Act of 1984 specifically cited those areas 

that were 

adjacent to 

newly created 

wilderness 

or adjacent 

to existing 

wilderness, 

and added 

them to the 

existing 

wilderness 

areas. The 

rest of the 

roadless areas 

identified by 

the RARE II 

were released 

to nonwilderness 

management, 

were identified as being non-wilderness or “further 

planning areas,” and were evaluated in the land 

management planning process for the Forest Plan.

National management direction from the decision 

for the Roadless Rule Final EIS prohibits road 

construction and reconstruction in inventoried 

roadless areas. Tree removal will only be permitted 

following a determination that removal of the 

trees is “clearly needed for ecological restoration 

and maintenance or public safety” (Clinton 2000, 

p. 24097), using the criteria in the Clear Need 

Criteria section of Part 3 of the Monument Plan. 

Table 45 Non-Wilderness Roadless Areas

Name Acres

Agnew 8,580

Black Mountain 15,130

Chico 1,620

Dennison Peak 6,300

Jennie Lakes 2,440

Lion Ridge 5,220

Moses 22,020

Rincon 6,650

Slate Mountain 12,340

Fuel treatments in inventoried roadless areas are 

considered permissible under the Roadless Rule.

The non-wilderness roadless areas within the 

Monument, as identified in the Forest Plan, are listed 

in the following table.

A portion of the Moses Inventoried Roadless Area 

(about 15,100 acres) will be recommended for 

inclusion in the National Wilderness Preservation 

System, as the Moses Wilderness. It will be managed 

as proposed wilderness while Congress considers its 

designation (see the Proposed Moses Wilderness Map 

in Appendix H, Special Area Maps).

Kings Canyon Scenic Byway

The National 

Scenic Byway 

Program 

showcases 

outstanding 

national forest 

scenery and 

increases public 

awareness and 

understanding of 

all national forest 

activities. The 

Kings Canyon 

Scenic Byway, 

which is 50 miles 

long, is the only 

national forest 

scenic byway in 

the Monument 
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Giant Sequoia National Monument Management Plan

65

as Lloyd Meadow Grove, is the easternmost grove of 

giant sequoias and is considered to be among the most 

recently established. Part of the grove is underlain 

by a 3-million-year-old volcanic basalt flow. This 

botanical area is fairly easy to reach by car throughout 

the summer. There are several noteworthy sequoias 

to see in this grove, including the President George 

Bush Tree. This tree was named for President George 

H.W. Bush when he signed a proclamation on July 

14, 1992, to protect all the sequoia groves throughout 

the Sierra. This proclamation set aside giant sequoia 

groves in national forests for protection, preservation, 

and restoration. A beautifully reconstructed trail 

provides a fully accessible loop around the Bush Tree. 

Freeman Creek Grove and its surrounding watershed 

are newly designated and being managed as a 

botanical area.

South Mountaineer Creek Research 

Natural Area

The South Mountaineer Creek Research Natural 

Area covers 1,325 acres, of which 160 acres are in 

the Monument. An extensive red fir forest dominates 

the area, which lies in the South Mountaineer Creek 

watershed in the Golden Trout Wilderness. South 

Mountaineer Creek, though establishment is still 

pending, is being managed as a research natural area.

Windy Gulch Geological Area

The 3,500 acres of the Windy Gulch Geologic 

Area contains a number of outstanding formations, 

including caves and marble roof pendants. Mesozoic 

granitic rocks are the dominant rock type and consist 

of several plutons approximately 100 million years 

old. The metamorphic rocks are known as the Kings 

Terrain; the most extensive of these are the Lower 

Kings River, Kaweah River, and Tule River roof 

pendants. The Lower Kings River roof pendant 

includes the Boyden Cave roof pendant, whose 

marble contains several caves including Boyden Cave 

and Church Cave.

Appendix H shows all the special areas in the 

Monument.

(and forest) and is an eligible state scenic highway. 

The scenic byway nomination report states that this 

travel corridor is internationally significant with two 

extraordinary features: towering giant sequoia trees 

and Kings Canyon (USDA Forest Service 1990).

Moses Mountain Research Natural 

Area

The Moses Mountain Research Natural Area covers 

approximately 990 acres. In addition to giant 

sequoias, the area contains rare plant habitat on the 

rocky east-facing slopes of Moses Mountain, as 

well as aquatic habitat along the Wishon Fork of the 

Tule River. Nearly two-thirds of the area lies within 

the Golden Trout Wilderness. Moses Mountain is 

managed for the study of giant sequoias in a natural 

setting.

Slate Mountain Botanical Area 

Slate Mountain is unique because of its abundance of 

sensitive plants. This area was released by Congress 

for non-wilderness use in the 1984 California 

Wilderness Act. 

The botanical 

area covers 

500 acres 

along the rocky 

northern summit 

comprised of 

pre-cretaceous 

metamorphic and 

metasedimentary 

rocks surrounded 

by granitic 

rocks. Nearly 95 

percent of the 

total population 

of Twisselmann’s 

buckwheat 

occurs on Slate 

Mountain.

In accordance with the Forest Plan, Slate Mountain is 

classified and being managed as a botanical area.

Freeman Creek Botanical Area

The Freeman Creek Botanical Area contains the 

Freeman Creek Grove and covers approximately 

4,190 acres. The Freeman Creek Grove, also known 
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Giant Sequoia National Monument Management Plan

67

Part 3—Design Criteria
Part 3—Design Criteria

Management Plan Giant Sequoia National Monument

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Part 3—Design Criteria

Giant Sequoia National Monument Management Plan

69

Design criteria include legal and regulatory 

compliance, treatment and clear need criteria, 

the decision tree, standards and guidelines, and 

monitoring and evaluation procedures. Design criteria 

are sideboards for subsequent projects and activities 

to help achieve the desired conditions.

Legal and regulatory direction, treatment and 

clear need criteria, the decision tree, standards and 

guidelines, and monitoring and evaluation procedures 

are included in this part.

Legal and Regulatory Compliance

The National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 

(NEPA) at 40 CFR 1502.25(a) directs “to the 

fullest extent possible, agencies shall prepare draft 

environmental impact statements concurrently with 

and integrated with... other environmental review 

laws and executive orders.” The Monument will be 

guided by applicable laws, regulations, policies, and 

guidelines. This Monument Plan supplements, but 

does not replace, the direction from those sources.

The Monument is guided by direction from numerous 

sources. The governing source of legal direction 

is the Proclamation (Clinton 2000); this section 

discusses other laws and executive orders. Laws 

passed by Congress such as NEPA, the Organic Act 

of 1897, the National Forest Management Act of 

1976 (NFMA), the Multiple Use Sustained Yield Act 

of 1964 (MUSYA), and the Endangered Species Act 

of 1973 (ESA), provide direction for certain aspects 

of management. At the national level, the Resources 

Planning Act of 1974 (RPA) gives broad direction 

and the Administrative Procedure Act of 1966 (APA) 

(P.L. 79-404) governs the way in which administrative 

agencies of the federal government may propose and 

establish regulations.

Applicable laws, regulations, policies, and executive 

orders, as well as Forest Service manual and handbook guidance, memoranda of understanding, conservation strategies, and programmatic agreements, are 

listed here by resource. The relevant documents are 

available on the Forest Service website (http://www.

fs.fed.us/publications/) and from Forest Service offices. The list included here is not all inclusive.

Scientific Study and 

Adaptive Management

● Forest Service Handbook (FSH) 1909.12-2006-5, 

Chapter 40—Science and Sustainability: direction 

regarding scientific review guidelines and 

procedures

Vegetation, including Giant 

Sequoia Groves

● National Forest Management Act of 1976

● National Forest Resource Management: Forest 

Service Manual (FSM) 2000—Chapter 2020—

Ecological Restoration and Resilience

● Silvicultural Practices Handbook (FSH 2409.17), 

Silvicultural Examination and Prescription 

Handbook (FSH 2409.26d)

● Timber Management: FSM 2400—Silvicultural 

Practices Chapter

Fire and Fuels

● Guidance for Implementation of Federal Wildand 

Fire Management Policy, February 2009

● Fire Management: FSM 5100

Air Quality

● Federal Clean Air Act: The Federal Clean Air Act 

(CAA) is the federal law passed in 1963, and last 

amended in 1990, (42 U.S.C. §7401 et seq.) which 

is the basis for national control of air pollution. 

● National Ambient Air Quality Standards 

(NAAQS): These are standards for pollutants 

considered harmful to public health and the 

environment. The EPA has set the NAAQS for 

six principal pollutants, which are called “criteria 

pollutants” (see Table III-2: National ambient air 

quality standards). Smoke contributes to PM10 and 

to a lesser degree NO2, CO, and O3.
Part 3—Design Criteria

Management Plan Giant Sequoia National Monument

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● Class I areas: These include national parks, 

wildernesses, and some U.S. Fish and Wildlife 

refuges that were in existence at the passage 

of the 1977 Clean Air Act amendments. These 

areas are provided special protection from new 

and modified major stationary sources. Federal 

land managers are mandated an affirmative 

responsibility to protect values that might be 

affected by air pollution, including visibility and 

other air quality-related values.

● Regional Haze Rule: These regulations require 

states to review how pollution emissions within 

the state affect visibility at class I areas across 

a broad region. These rules also require states 

to make “reasonable progress” in reducing any 

effect this pollution has on visibility conditions 

in class I areas and to prevent future impairment 

of visibility. The states are required by the rule to 

analyze a pathway that takes the class I areas from 

current conditions to “natural conditions” in 60 

years. “Natural conditions” is a term used in the 

Clean Air Act that means that no human-caused 

pollution can impair visibility. This program, 

while aimed at class I areas, will improve regional 

visibility and air quality throughout the country.

● Conformity Rule: This rule implements the Clean 

Air Act conformity provision, which mandates 

that the federal government not engage, support, 

or provide financial assistance for licensing 

or permitting, or approve, any activity not 

conforming to an approved state implementation 

plan.

● EPA Interim Policy on Wildland and Prescribed 

Fire, announced in 1998: This EPA interim policy 

integrates two public policy goals: (1) to allow 

fire to function, as nearly as possible, in its natural 

role in maintaining healthy wildland ecosystems, 

and (2) to protect public health and welfare by 

mitigating the effects of air pollutants on air 

quality and visibility.

● California Clean Air Act (H&S §§ 39660 et seq.): 

California adopted the California Clean Air Act 

(CCAA) in 1988. The Act provides the basis for 

air quality planning and regulation in California 

independent of federal regulations, and establishes 

ambient air quality standards for the same criteria 

pollutants as the federal clean air legislation.

San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District. 

The district is comprised of eight counties that share 

a common air district: Fresno, Kern, Kings, Madera, 

Merced, San Joaquin, Stanislaus, and Tulare Counties. 

Local air pollution control districts in California 

develop plans and implement control measures in 

their areas of jurisdiction. These collectively make up 

California’s state implementation plan. These controls 

primarily affect stationary sources but do include 

sources of dust and smoke. The following district 

regulations may directly or indirectly affect planning 

in the Monument:

● Public Nuisance (Rule 4102): Prohibits air 

discharge of material that causes nuisance or 

annoyance to any considerable number of people.

● Prescribed Burning and Hazard Reduction (Rule 

4106): This rule was adopted June 21, 2001, in 

response to California’s Title 17, and is designed 

to permit, regulate, and coordinate the use of 

prescribed burning and hazard reduction burning 

while minimizing smoke effects on the public.

● Fugitive Dust (Regulation 8): The existing 

Regulation 8 rules were developed to implement 

control strategies for major sources of dust. These 

include construction, demolition, excavation, 

extraction, handling/storage, landfills, paved/

unpaved roads, and open areas. EPA has recently 

cited deficiencies in these existing rules and the 

district is evaluating a series of new rules aimed at 

further reductions in particulates. The San Joaquin 

Valley Air Pollution Control District (Valley Air 

District) is responsible for implementing and 

regulating air quality programs for Fresno County, 

Tulare County, and a portion of Kern County 

in the Sequoia National Forest. The Valley Air 

District regulations can be found at: http://www.

valleyair.org/index.htm. The Valley Air District 

has set rules to limit fugitive dust emissions. 

However, activities conducted at an elevation of 

3,000 feet or higher above sea level are exempt. 

Kern County Air Pollution Control District, 

which serves eastern Kern County, has set rules 

for fugitive dust but currently excludes national 

forests and recreation areas.

● Memorandum of understanding between the 

California Air Resources Board (CARB) and the 

Forest Service, signed on July 13, 1999: CARB 

has set more stringent standards, oversees state and 
Part 3—Design Criteria

Giant Sequoia National Monument Management Plan

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local actions, and implements programs for toxic 

air pollutants, heavy-duty trucks, locomotives, 

ships, aircraft, off-road diesel equipment, and 

some types of industrial equipment.

● The Smoke Management Guidelines for 

Agricultural and Prescribed Burning (Title 

17) are the regulatory basis for California’s 

smoke management program. Amendments to 

California’s Title 17 may directly or indirectly 

affect planning in the Monument. The smoke 

management guidelines became effective on 

March 14, 2001. Local air pollution control 

districts use these guidelines in local rule 

development. These guidelines are currently being 

revised by the CARB.

● General Conformity State Implementation Plan 

Handbook (1995)

Climate Change

● Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) “State of 

Knowledge” paper (2007) development

● Climate Change Consideration in Project Level 

NEPA Analysis, January 13, 2009

Wildlife and Plant Habitat

Wildlife

● Endangered Species Act (ESA): The Endangered 

Species Act of 1973 (16 USC 1531 et seq.) 

requires that any action authorized by a federal 

agency not be likely to jeopardize the continued 

existence of a threatened or endangered (TE) 

species or result in the destruction or adverse 

modification of habitat of such species that is 

determined to be critical. Section 7 of the ESA, 

as amended, requires the responsible federal 

agency to consult the U.S. Fish and Wildlife 

Service (USFWS) and the National Marine 

Fisheries Service concerning TE species under 

their jurisdiction. It is Forest Service policy 

to analyze effects to TE species to ensure 

management activities are not likely to jeopardize 

the continued existence of a TE species or result in 

the destruction or adverse modification of habitat 

of such species that is determined to be critical. 

This assessment is documented in a biological 

assessment (BA).

● FSM and FSH, Chapter 2670. Forest Service 

Sensitive (FSS) species are species identified by 

the regional forester for which population viability 

is a concern. The Forest Service develops and 

implements management practices to ensure that 

rare plants and animals do not become threatened 

or endangered and to ensure their continued 

viability on national forests. It is Forest Service 

policy to analyze effects to FSS species to ensure 

management activities do not create a significant 

trend toward federal listing or loss of viability. 

This assessment is documented in a biological 

evaluation (BE).

● The California Condor Recovery Plan (USDI 

1996) provides guidelines for management of nest 

and roost sites. The 1988 Forest Plan designated 

the Starvation Grove nest area and Lion Ridge 

roost area, which are within the Monument 

(USDA Forest Service 1988a pp. 3-29, 4-27 to 

4-28).

● Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act of 1940

● Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918

● Valley Elderberry Longhorn Beetle (VELB) 

Recovery Plan provides habitat management 

objectives from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 

(USDI 1993b)

Threatened, Endangered, and 

Sensitive Species

● Endangered Species Act (ESA): The Endangered 

Species Act of 1973 (16 USC 1531 et seq.) 

requires that any action authorized by a federal 

agency not be likely to jeopardize the continued 

existence of a threatened or endangered species or 

result in the destruction or adverse modification 

of habitat of such species that is determined to 

be critical. Section 7 of the ESA, as amended, 

requires the responsible federal agency to consult 

the USFWS and the National Marine Fisheries 

Service concerning threatened or endangered 

species under their jurisdiction.

● Executive Order 13112, Invasive Species 64 FR 

6183 (February 8, 1999), to prevent and control 

the introduction and spread of invasive species

● FSM and FSH, Chapter 2670. Forest Service 

Sensitive (FSS) species are species identified by 

the regional forester for which population viability 
Part 3—Design Criteria

Management Plan Giant Sequoia National Monument

72

is a concern. The Forest Service develops and 

implements management practices to ensure that 

plants and animals do not become threatened or 

endangered and to ensure their continued viability 

on national forests. It is Forest Service policy 

to analyze effects to sensitive species to ensure 

management activities do not create a significant 

trend toward federal listing or loss of viability.

Botanical Resources

● FSM Chapter 2070, Regional Native Plant 

Policies.

Invasive Nonnative Species

● FSM, Chapter 2081.03 requires that a weed 

risk assessment be conducted when any ground 

disturbing activity is proposed. Determines the 

risk of introducing or spreading noxious weeds 

associated with the proposed action. Projects 

having moderate to high risk of introducing or 

spreading noxious weeds must identify noxious 

weed control measures that must be undertaken 

during project implementation.

● Executive Order 13112 of Feb. 3, 1999 directs 

federal agencies to prevent the introduction of 

invasive species; detect and respond rapidly to 

and control such species; not authorize, fund, or 

carry out actions that it believes are likely to cause 

or promote the introduction or spread of invasive 

species unless the agency has determined and 

made public its determination that the benefits of 

such actions clearly outweigh the potential harm 

caused by invasive species; and take all feasible 

and prudent measures to minimize risk of harm in 

conjunction with the actions.

● Pacific Southwest Region Noxious Weed 

Management Strategy

● Sequoia National Forest Weed Management 

Guidelines

● Continue to participate in and work toward the 

goals of the California Interagency Coordinating 

Committee Memorandum of Understanding 

signed in 1995. Coordinated weed management 

will take place in the context of regional and local 

cooperative weed management areas, which allow 

effective strategy development and cost-sharing in 

specific areas to solve common weed problems.

Range

● Secretary of Agriculture regulations relating to 

grazing and livestock on the National Forest 

System in 36 CFR 222

● Legislative authorities for administration of 

the National Forest System range program are 

described in FSM 2201. Objectives, policies, and 

responsibilities for the range management program 

are in FSM 2202 through 2204, and FSM 2230.01 

through 2230.06. National direction and guidance 

for grazing permit administration is contained in 

FSM 2230 through FSM 2238.

● 1997 Rangeland Analysis and Planning Guide

Hydrological Resources

● Organic Act of 1897, Object of Forest 

Reservations, states that “Public forest reservations 

are established to protect and improve the forests 

for the purpose of...insuring conditions favorable 

to continuous water flow.”

● Clean Water Act of 1948 (as amended in 1972 and 

1987) establishes as federal policy the control of 

point and non-point source pollution and assigns 

the states the primary responsibility for control of 

water pollution. Compliance with the Clean Water 

Act by national forests in California is achieved 

under state law.

● Non-point source pollution on national forests 

is managed through the Regional Water Quality 

Management Plan (USDA 2000), which relies on 

implementation of prescribed best management 

practices (BMPs).

● The California Water Code consists of a 

comprehensive body of law that incorporates all 

state laws related to water, including water rights, 

water developments, and water quality. The laws 

related to water quality (Sections 13000 to 13485) 

apply to waters in national forests and are directed 

at protecting the beneficial uses of water.

● The Porter-Cologne Water Quality Act, as 

amended in 2006, is included in the California 

Water Code. This act provides for the protection 

of water quality by the State Water Resources 

Control Board and the Regional Water Quality 

Control Boards, which are authorized by the U.S. 
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Giant Sequoia National Monument Management Plan

73

Environmental Protection Agency to enforce the 

Clean Water Act in California.

● Executive Orders 11988 and 11990 (Floodplains 

and Wetlands) require federal agencies to avoid, 

to the extent possible, short- and long-term effects 

resulting from the occupancy and modification of 

floodplains and the modification or destruction of 

wetlands. Standards and guidelines are provided 

for soil, water, wetlands, and riparian areas to 

minimize effects to floodplains and wetlands. 

They incorporate the BMPs of the Soil and 

Water Conservation Handbook. The standards 

and guidelines apply to all floodplains and 

wetlands where less restrictive management might 

otherwise occur.

● Region 5, FSH 2509.22, Chapter 20

● Sequoia National Forest Cumulative Watershed 

Effects Field Guide (Kaplan-Henry and Machado 

1991)

Groundwater

● Judicial doctrine and water-rights case law 

provide the legal interpretations of federal and 

state statutes about usage and management of 

groundwater (see FSM 2541.01 and FSH 2509.16 

for procedures to be followed for complying with 

federal policy and state water rights laws).

● The Forest Service national groundwater policy 

is intended to set out the framework in which 

groundwater resources are to be managed on NFS 

lands. As of the publication date of this document, 

the national policy has not yet been finalized. 

However, the Technical Guide for Ground Water 

Resource Management provides a framework for 

the management of groundwater resources while 

the national policy is completed.

● Safe Drinking Water Act of 1974, as amended (42 

U.S.C. §300f et seq.): The intent of the SDWA is 

to ensure the safety of drinking water supplies. 

Its authority is used to establish drinking water 

standards and to protect surface and groundwater 

supplies from contamination.

● Resource Conservation and Recovery Act of 

1976, as amended (42 U.S.C. §6901 et seq.): The 

Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) 

regulates the generation, transportation, treatment, 

storage and disposal of waste materials. It has 

very specific requirements for the protection and 

monitoring of groundwater and surface water at 

operating facilities that may generate solid wastes 

or hazardous wastes.

● Comprehensive Environmental Response, 

Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980, as 

amended (42 U.S.C. §9601 et seq.): Also known as 

“Superfund,” the Comprehensive Environmental 

Response, Compensation, and Liability Act 

(CERCLA) regulates cleanup of existing 

environmental contamination at non-operating and 

abandoned sites (see also FSM 2160).

● National Environmental Policy Act of January 1, 

1970 (NEPA) (83 Stat. 852 as Amended; 42 U.S.C. 

4321, 4331-4335, 4341-4347) (FSM 1950.2): This 

act directs all agencies of the Federal Government 

to utilize a systematic interdisciplinary approach 

which will ensure the integrated use of the 

natural and social sciences in planning and in 

decision making which may have an effect on 

man’s environment. Hydrogeology is one of the 

applicable sciences.

● Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources 

Planning Act of August 17, 1974 (RPA) (88 

Stat. 476; 16 U.S.C. 1600-1614) as amended by 

National Forest Management Act of October 22, 

1976 (90 Stat. 2949; 16 U.S.C. 1609) (FSM 1920 

and FSM 2550): This act requires consideration 

of the geologic environment through the 

identification of hazardous conditions and the 

prevention of irreversible damages. The Secretary 

of Agriculture is required, in the development and 

maintenance of land management plans, to use a 

systematic interdisciplinary approach to achieve 

integrated consideration of physical, biological, 

economic, and other sciences.

● Federal Water Pollution Control Act of July 

9, 1956, as Amended (33 U.S.C. 1151) (FSM 

2501.1); Federal Water Pollution Control Act 

Amendments of 1972 (86 Stat. 816) (FSM 

2501.1), and Clean Water Act of 1977 (91 Stat. 

1566; 33 U.S.C. 1251) (FSM 2501.1, 7440.1): 

These acts are intended to enhance the quality 

and value of the water resource and to establish 

a national policy for the prevention, control, 

and abatement of water pollution. Groundwater 
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Management Plan Giant Sequoia National Monument

74

information, including that concerning recharge 

and discharge areas, and information on geologic 

conditions that affect ground water quality are 

needed to carry out purposes of these acts.

Geological Resources

● Mining and Minerals Policy Act of December 

31, 1970 (84 Stat. 1876; 30 U.S.C. 21a): This 

act provides for the study and development of 

methods for the reclamation of mineral waste 

products and the reclamation of mined lands. This 

requires an evaluation of geology as it relates to 

groundwater protection and geologic stability.

● Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act 

of August 3, 1977 (SMCRA) (30 U.S.C. 1201, 

1202, 1211, 1221–43, 1251–79, 1281, 1291, 1309, 

1311–16, 1321–28): This act enables agencies to 

take action to prevent water pollution from current 

mining activities and also promote reclamation 

of mined areas left without adequate reclamation 

prior to this act.

● Federal Cave Resources Protection Act of 1988 

(102 Stat. 4546; 16 U.S.C. 4301 et seq.): This act 

provides that Federal lands be managed to protect 

and maintain, to the extent practical, significant 

caves.

● Wild and Scenic Rivers Act of October 2, 1968 

(82 Stat. 906 as Amended; 16 U.S.C. 1271-1287): 

This act states that it is the policy of the United 

States that certain selected rivers of the nation 

which, with their immediate environments, possess 

outstanding scenic, recreation, geologic, fish and 

wildlife, cultural, or other similar values shall be 

preserved in free-flowing condition.

Paleontological Resources

● FSM 2360 pertaining to special interest areas

● Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 

(PL 111-011, Title VI, Subtitle D, Section 6300-

6312 [16 USC 470aaa-11]) “Paleontological 

Resources Preservation”: This subtitle provides for 

the management and protection of paleontological 

resources on Federal land, including the 

development of plans for inventory, monitoring, 

and the scientific and educational use of such 

resources. It also identifies collection and curation 

requirements, prohibited acts and penalties, 

rewards and forfeitures, and confidentiality.

Soils

● National Soil Management Handbook: The 

Soil Management Handbook (USDA 1991) 

is a national soils handbook that defines soil 

productivity and components of soil productivity, 

establishes guidance for measuring soil 

productivity, and establishes thresholds to assist in 

forest planning.

● Region 5 Soil Management Handbook Supplement 

(USDA 1991): The Forest Service Region 5 Soil 

Management Handbook Supplement (R5 FSH 

Supplement 2509.18-95-1) establishes regional 

soil quality analysis standards. The analysis 

standards address three basic elements for the 

soil resource: (1) soil productivity (including 

soil loss, porosity; and organic matter); 

(2) soil hydrologic function; and (3) soil buffering 

capacity. The analysis standards are to be used 

for areas dedicated to growing vegetation. They 

are not applied to lands with other dedicated uses 

such as developed campgrounds or administrative 

facilities.

● Regional Forester’s Letter (dated Feb 5, 2007): 

This letter provided clarification to forest 

supervisors on the appropriate use of the R5 Soil 

Management Handbook Supplement (R5 FSH 

Supplement 2509.18-95-1).

Human Use (Including 

Recreation, Scenery, 

and Civil Rights and 

Environmental Justice)

Recreation

Several authorities guide the provision of recreation 

opportunities. The FSM provides policy direction, 

primarily in FSM 2300 for recreation and FSM 2700 

for special uses, for both recreation special uses and 

non-recreation special uses. 

The primary management authorities for recreation 

and related resources are:

● The Term Permit Act of 1915 (38 Stat. 1101, as 

amended; 16 U.S.C. 497)
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● The Multiple Use Sustained-Yield Act of 1960 (74 

Stat. 215, as amended; 16 U.S.C. 528-531)

● The Wilderness Act of 1964 (16 U.S.C. 1131-

1136)

● The National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 

(Pub. L. 89-665; 80 Stat. 915; 16 U.S.C. 470 et 

seq.)

● The Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement 

Act, Title VIII, Div. J., of the Consolidated 

Appropriations Act for 2005, Pub. L. 108-447

● The Architectural Barriers Act of 1968, as 

amended (42 U.S.C. 4151 et seq.)

● The Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended, 

Sections 504 and 508 (29 U.S.C. 794 and 794d)

● Title V, Section 507c of the Americans with 

Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) (42 U.S.C. 12101 

et seq.)

● In addition, the Organic Act of 1897, as amended 

(FSM 1021.11a), instructs the Secretary of 

Agriculture to preserve and to regulate occupancy 

and use of the national forests (16 U.S.C. 473-478, 

479-482, 551); prohibitions on the use of National 

Forest System lands are contained in 36 CFR 261 

(FSM 1023.4).

Numerous statutory authorities govern the issuance 

and administration of special use authorizations on 

National Forest System lands. Some of those laws are:

● The Organic Administration Act of 1897 (16 

U.S.C. 477-482, 551)

● The Act of March 4, 1915, as amended in 1956 (16 

U.S.C. 497), which authorizes term permits

● Section 7 of the Granger-Thye Act of 1950 (16 

U.S.C. 490, 504, 504a, 555, 557, 571c, 572, 579a, 

580c-5801, 581i-1)

● The Independent Offices Appropriation Act of 

1952, as amended (31 U.S.C. 9701) (Office of 

Management and Budget Circular No. A-25 

further defines this authority)

● The Wilderness Act of 1964 (16 U.S.C. 1131-

1136)

● The Land and Water Conservation Fund Act of 

1964, as amended (16 U.S.C. 4601-6a(c))

● The National Forest Roads and Trails Act of 1964 

(16 U.S.C. 532-38)

● Title V of the Federal Land Policy and 

Management Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1761-1771)

● The Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation 

Act of 1980 (16 U.S.C 3210)

● The National Forest Ski Area Permit Act of 1986 

(16 U.S.C. 497b)

● The Omnibus Parks and Public Lands 

Management Act of 1996 (16 U.S.C. 497c)

● The Act of May 26, 2000 (16 U.S.C. 406l-6d), 

which supplements the authority to regulate 

commercial filming and still photography

● The Cabin User Fee Fairness Act of 2000 (16 

U.S.C. 6201-6213)

● The National Forest Organizational Camp Fee 

Improvement Act of 2003 (16 U.S.C. 6231 et 

seq.).

● Special use regulations are in 36 CFR 251.

Scenery

● Agriculture Handbook 434:1973, National Forest 

Landscape Management, Volume 1

● Agriculture Handbook 701:1995, Landscape 

Aesthetics, A Handbook for Scenery Management

● Built Environment Image Guide (BEIG): The built 

environment, as used in this guide, refers to the 

administrative and recreation buildings, landscape 

structures, site furnishings, structures on roads 

and trails, and signs installed or operated by the 

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest 

Service, its cooperators, and permittees.

The elements of the built environment constructed 

on national forest lands and grasslands, or 

those used for administrative purposes in rural 

areas, towns, and cities, shall—to the extent 

practicable—incorporate the principles of 

sustainability, reflect their place within the natural 

and cultural landscape, and provide optimal 

service to our customers and cooperators. These 

elements will:

● Be located, planned, and designed with respect 

for the natural systems in which they reside.
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Management Plan Giant Sequoia National Monument

76

● Aesthetically integrate their natural, cultural, 

and experiential context.

● Contain design elements, including appropriate 

signs, that reinforce a national agency identity.

● Emphasize efficiency of energy and materials 

consumption in construction and operation.

● Serve as premier examples to interpret 

conservation of natural resources and 

sustainable development.

● Create environments for people to enjoy and 

gain increased appreciation for the natural 

environment, and in which employees work 

productively, experiencing the connection to the 

resources they manage.

Civil Rights and Environmental 

Justice

● Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (42 U.S.C. 

§§ 2000d-2000d-7: Sec. 2000d): Prohibition 

against exclusion from participation in, denial of 

benefits of, and discrimination under federally 

assisted programs on grounds of race, color, or 

national origin.

● Civil Rights Impact Analysis (CRIA) (FSM 

1730.3)

● The Civil Rights Policy for USDA, Departmental 

Regulation 4300-4 dated May 30, 2003 (7 CFR 

15d)

● Executive Order (EO) 12898, Federal Actions 

to Address Environmental Justice in Minority 

Populations and Low-income Populations: 

Requires each federal agency to make achieving 

environmental justice part of its mission.

● Departmental Regulation (DR) 5600-2: Provides 

direction to agencies for integrating environmental 

justice considerations into USDA programs and 

activities, in compliance with EO 12898.

Socioeconomics

● Social Impact Analysis (1900-03)

● Healthy Forest Restoration Act (HFRA), (Section 

303 of Public Law 108-148, December 3, 2003).

● Energy Act of 2008 (Public Law 110-234).

● Department of Agriculture Departmental 

Regulation 1350-001, September 11, 2008.

● Departmental Regulation 1340-007, March 14, 

2008.

Cultural Resources/Tribal 

and Native American 

Interests

● Organic Act of 1897 (Title 16, United States Code 

(U.S.C.), section 473-478, 479-482, 551)

● Antiquities Act of 1906 (16 U.S.C. 431) In so 

doing, the USDA Forest Service built environment 

will strengthen and reinforce the image of the 

agency as an international conservation leader.

● Native American Graves Protection and 

Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) of 1990

● Historic Sites Act of 1935 (16 U.S.C. 461)

● National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 

(NHPA), as amended (16 U.S.C. 470), and its 

implementing regulation 36 CFR 800

● Archaeological and Historic Preservation Act of 

1974 (AHPA) (16 U.S.C. 469)

● Archaeological Resources Protection Act of 1979 

(ARPA), as amended (16 U.S.C. 47Oaa et seq.), as 

implemented by 36 CFR part 296

● Native American Graves Protection and 

Repatriation Act of 1990 (NAGPRA), as amended 

(25 U.S.C. 3001), as implemented by 43 CFR 

Part 10, Subpart B – Human Remains, Funerary 

Objects, Sacred Objects, or Objects of Cultural 

Patrimony From Federal or Tribal Lands

● Curation of Federally-owned and Administered 

Archaeological Collections, 36 CFR part 79

● National Indian Forest Resources Management 

Act (NIFRMA), Public Law 101-630, November 

28, 1990

● American Indian Religious Freedom Act (AIRFA) 

(Public Law 103-344, October 6, 1994)

● Tribal Forest Protection Act of 2004 (Public Law 

108-278, July 22, 2004)
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77

● Executive Order 11593, Protection and 

Enhancement of the Cultural Environment, issued 

May 13, 1971

● Executive Order 13007, Indian Sacred Sites, 

issued May 24, 1996

● Executive Order 13175, Consultation and 

Coordination with Indian Tribal Governments, 

issued November 6, 2000

● Executive Order 13287, Preserve America, issued 

March 3, 2003

● The First Amended Regional Programmatic 

Agreement Among the U.S.D.A. Forest Service, 

Pacific Southwest Region, California State 

Historic Preservation Officer, and Advisory 

Council on Historic Preservation Regarding 

the Process for Compliance with Section 106 

of the National Historic Preservation Act for 

Undertakings on the National Forests of the 

Pacific Southwest Region (2001)

● The Programmatic Agreement Among the U.S.D.A. 

Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Region, 

California State Historic Preservation Officer, 

and Advisory Council on Historic Preservation 

Regarding the Identification, Evaluation and 

Treatment of Historic Properties managed by the 

National Forests of the Sierra Nevada, California

(1996)

● Other regional programmatic agreements for 

individual historic property types, including 

lookouts, administrative buildings, and recreation 

residences, and specific undertaking types of fuel 

reduction and range; and subsequently issued 

programmatic agreements

● FSM 2300, Chapter 2360, Heritage Program 

Management

● FSM 1500, External Relations, Chapter 1560—

State Tribal, County, and Local Agencies, Public 

and Private Organizations (2007)

● FSH 1509.13, American Indian and Alaska Native 

Relations Handbook

● Executive Memo, April 29, 1994, “Governmentto-Government Relationship.”

● Executive Memo, September 23, 2004, 

“Government-to-Government Relationship.”

Transportation

● Highway Safety Act of 1966: The Department of 

Transportation is authorized and directed to assist 

and cooperate with other federal departments and 

agencies, state and local governments, private 

industry, and other interested parties to increase 

highway safety. Each state is responsible for 

implementing a highway safety program to reduce 

traffic accidents and deaths, injuries, and property 

damage.

● Title 36, Code of Federal Regulations, Part 212 

(36 CFR 212): The implementing regulation for 

the National Forest Roads and Trails Act (FRTA) 

includes portions of the Travel Management Rule 

published in the Federal Register on November 

9, 2005. Part 212, Subpart B, provides criteria 

for designation of roads and trails. Providing 

safe transportation facilities and considering the 

affordability of maintaining the transportation 

facilities are two of the criteria.

● The California Vehicle Code (CVC): The CVC 

contains regulations related to the use of motor 

vehicles in California, including motor vehicles 

used on the national forests. The CVC sets safety 

standards for motor vehicles and vehicle operators. 

It defines the safety equipment needed for highway 

legal and non-highway legal vehicles. The code 

also defines the roads and trails where nonhighway legal motor vehicles may be operated.

● FSM sections 2350 and 7700 contain agency 

policy for management of the National Forest 

Transportation System (NFTS). FSH 7709.59 

describes the maintenance management system the 

Forest Service uses and the maintenance standards 

needed to meet road management objectives 

(RMOs). FSH 2309.18 describes the maintenance 

management system the Forest Service uses and 

the maintenance standards needed to meet trail 

management objectives (TMOs).

Special Forest Products

● USDA Forest Service, 36 CFR Parts 223 and 261, 

Sale and Disposal of National Forest Products and 

Forest Botanical Products

● Federal Register/Vol. 73, No. 249/December 29, 

2008/Rules and Regulations (FR 2008)
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Management Plan Giant Sequoia National Monument

78

Clear Need Criteria/Standards and Guidelines

Ecological Restoration

These giant sequoia groves and the surrounding 

forest provide an excellent opportunity to 

understand the consequences of different 

approaches to forest restoration. These forests need 

restoration to counteract the effects of a century 

of fire suppression and logging. Fire suppression 

has caused forests to become denser in many 

areas, with increased dominance of shade-tolerant 

species. Woody debris has accumulated, causing an 

unprecedented buildup of surface fuels. One of the 

most immediate consequences of these changes is 

an increased hazard of wildfires of a severity that 

was rarely encountered in pre-Euroamerican times. 

Outstanding opportunities exist for studying the 

consequences of different approaches to mitigating 

these conditions and restoring natural forest 

resilience (Clinton 2000, pp. 24095-24096).

The Proclamation recommended managing the 

Monument for ecological restoration and maintenance 

of those restored conditions, but did not define the 

term. The Forest Service definition for ecological 

restoration can be found in the Forest Service Manual, 

Chapter 2020, Ecological Restoration and Resilience 

(FSM 2000, Sept. 22, 2008), which defines it as:

The process of assisting the recovery of resilience 

and adaptive capacity of ecosystems that have 

been degraded, damaged, or destroyed. Restoration 

focuses on establishing the composition, structure, 

pattern, and ecological processes necessary to make 

terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems sustainable, 

resilient, and healthy under current and future 

conditions.

In addition, the Pacific Southwest Region of the 

Forest Service has published a Region 5 Ecological 

Restoration Leadership Intent that states:

Our goal for the Pacific Southwest Region is to 

retain and restore ecological resilience of the 

National Forest lands to achieve sustainable 

ecosystems that provide a broad range of services to 

humans and other organisms. Ecologically healthy 

and resilient landscapes, rich in biodiversity, will 

have greater capacity to adapt and thrive in the 

face of natural disturbances and large scale threats 

to sustainability, especially under changing and 

uncertain future environmental conditions such 

as those driven by climate change and increasing 

human use (USDA 2011).

The Proclamation provides the context in which to use 

ecological restoration and maintenance for protecting 

and caring for the objects of interest. The Monument 

is located in a Mediterranean climate where species 

are adapted to frequent disturbances, usually due to 

wildfire. Ecological restoration in the Monument 

is likely to be strongly correlated to fuel treatments 

in the wildland urban intermix (WUI). However, 

focusing solely on burning to achieve ecological 

restoration would not address state air quality 

requirements or the need to achieve and maintain 

resiliency and heterogeneity. Advisory IV, Restoration 

of the Natural Fire Regime, from the Scientific 

Advisory Board, questions whether fire alone can be 

used to reach the desired conditions for giant sequoia 

groves and their ecosystems:

Fire often is a useful tool for restoring giant sequoia 

groves and other fire-adapted ecosystems (Hardy 

and Arno 1996; Stephenson 1996, 1999). However, 

issues such as human safety, air quality, water 

quality, endangered species, cumulative impacts 

with other management actions, current and desired 

forest structure, and current fuel loads mean that 

fire alone cannot always be used to achieve desired 

forest conditions (Weatherspoon 1996; Fulé et al. 

1997; Piirto and Rogers 1999). In areas where fire 

alone cannot be used to achieve desired conditions, 

mechanical thinning often proves to be a useful 

alternative (Weatherspoon 1996) (The Scientific 

Advisory Board 2003).

And Advisory IX, Undesirable Fire Effects, from the 

Scientific Advisory Board states:

Fuels reduction strategies in the Sierra Nevada 

Forest Plan Amendment [2001 SNFPA] may not 

adequately protect the giant sequoias and mixed 

conifer ecosystem from catastrophic fire... One of 

the goals stated in the Monument Proclamation is 

to restore “natural forest resilience” (Clinton 2000). 

Some foresters, forest ecologists, and others believe 

that in some areas of the Monument, the standards 
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Giant Sequoia National Monument Management Plan

79

set forth in the Forest Plan Amendment may be 

too restrictive to meet this goal with regard to 

catastrophic wildfire, and to protect other objects of 

interest in the Monument (The Scientific Advisory 

Board 2003).

As a result, restoration and maintenance activities 

will likely involve the use of both fire and mechanical 

treatments to reduce fuels and manage vegetation to 

protect the objects of interest, to accomplish critical 

restoration objectives, and to improve resilience in 

this fire-adapted ecosystem. Ecological integrity will 

Table 46 Management Direction for Ecological Restoration

Land Allocation/Species Focus Diameter Limit (inches)

General Monument(1) Protection(2)

Resiliency(3)

Heterogeneity(4)

20 (conifers)

12 (hardwoods)

Old forest emphasis Protection

Resiliency

Heterogeneity

20

Northern goshawk and California spotted owl PACs: inside 

defense zones

Protection

Resiliency

6 (within 1-2 acres of nest tree)

20 (elsewhere)(5)

Northern goshawk and California spotted owl PACs: 

outside defense zones, inside threat zones or TFETA

Protection

Resiliency

6 (within 1-2 acres of nest 

tree)(6)

Carnivore den sites: inside defense zones Protection 20(7)

Carnivore den sites: outside defense zones Protection Avoid(8)

Wildland urban intermix (WUI): defense zone Protection

Public safety

Resiliency

20

Giant sequoias outside WUI Protection

Resiliency

12

Giant sequoias inside WUI defense zone Protection

Resiliency

Giant sequoia 

regeneration

12

Giant sequoias inside WUI threat zone Protection

Resiliency

Giant sequoia 

regeneration

12

Tribal Fuels Emphasis Treatment Area (TFETA) Protection

Public safety

Resiliency

20

1. Outside of other allocations.

2. Protection of objects of interest.

3. Promotion of resiliency.

4. Promotion of heterogeneity.

5. For northern goshawk and California spotted owl PACs within defense zones, mechanical treatments would be prohibited within 500 feet 

of nest trees. Prescribed burning would be allowed within the 500-foot buffer. Prior to burning, hand treatments could be conducted, including 

the felling of small trees, within the 1-2 acre area surrounding nest trees. The rest of the PAC could be mechanically treated, with a 20-inch 

diameter limit, to achieve fuels reduction goals.

6. In northern goshawk and California spotted owl PACs outside of defense zones, fuel treatments would be limited to prescribed fire. Prior 

to burning, hand thinning of trees less than 6 inches in diameter would be permitted within the 1-2 acre area surrounding nest trees. These 

restrictions would also apply where a goshawk or spotted owl PAC overlaps with WUI threat zone or the TFETA.

7. Inside defense zones, if necessary to achieve fuels objectives, mechanical treatments of ladder and surface fuels over 85 percent of the 

treatment area would be permitted, with a 20-inch diameter limit. Prescribed fire could be used if there is no other reasonable treatment 

method.

8. Fuel treatments within carnivore dens site buffers that are outside of defense zones would be avoided.
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Management Plan Giant Sequoia National Monument

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be maintained, making use of the same management 

tools, to keep landscapes ecologically healthy and 

resilient.

Types of Treatments

Two types of treatment are considered for ecological 

restoration in the Monument: fire (prescribed fire, 

managed wildfire, and the hand treatments that 

accompany them, including chainsaws) and 

mechanical (self-propelled ground-based machines). 

Site-specific project analysis will determine the scope 

and percentage of fire and mechanical treatments 

necessary to restore and maintain ecosystems, provide 

for public safety, and meet the desired conditions for 

the Monument.

There are two types of wildland fires: wildfires and 

prescribed fires. Prescribed fires are planned and 

used for ecological restoration following site-specific 

project analysis. Wildfires are caused by natural 

ignitions, such as lightning, or some type of human 

interaction. The term “managed wildfire” refers to the 

use of wildfires started by natural ignitions to protect, 

maintain, and enhance resources, and, whenever 

possible, allow fire to function in its natural ecological 

role. This is one tool used to restore and maintain 

the natural fire regime. Human-caused wildfires 

will continue to be suppressed, and not managed for 

resource benefits.

Unplanned natural ignitions will be evaluated on a 

case-by-case basis at the project level to determine if 

the fire should be allowed to burn. Managed wildfires 

would use strategies and tactics which provide for the 

protection of human health, safety, and natural and 

cultural resource values. Risks and complexities for 

all ignitions would be analyzed in order to determine 

those ignitions which could be successfully managed 

for ecological benefit. Managed wildfire can be used 

as a tool to reintroduce fire to the ecosystem, reduce 

unnatural fuel accumulations, and promote resilient 

forest structures under appropriate conditions (FitesKaufman 2005).

Throughout the Monument, even in WUI zones and 

the Tribal Fuels Emphasis Treatment Area (TFETA), 

mechanical treatments will be limited or prohibited:

● in wilderness (existing and proposed)

● in wild and scenic river corridors

● in inventoried roadless areas

● in research natural areas

● in riparian conservation areas

● on slopes exceeding 35 percent

● in areas greater than 9,000 feet in elevation

● in areas more than 1⁄4 mile from a road

Based on these constraints, approximately 23 percent 

of the 328,315 acres of National Forest System land 

in the Monument could be considered for mechanical 

treatments (alone or in conjunction with fire 

treatments), compared to about 77 percent that could 

be considered for fire treatments.

Removal of Trees from Within the 

Monument

Any treatments that involve the removal of trees from 

within the Monument area, including both standing 

trees and downed logs, will only be permitted 

following a determination that removal of the trees 

is “clearly needed for ecological restoration and 

maintenance or public safety” (Clinton 2000, 

p. 24097).

Removal of trees, except for personal use fuel 

wood, from within the monument area may 

take place only if clearly needed for ecological 

restoration and maintenance or public safety 

(Clinton 2000, p. 24097).

In July 2008, the Forest Service provided a public 

comment period for reviewing the advisories from 

the Scientific Advisory Board and key terms used in 

the Proclamation. These comments were summarized 

in a report and then used to prepare an interpretation 

by the Forest Supervisor of the key principles of 

the Proclamation (Terrell 2009). The Forest Service 

interpretation includes this discussion on tree 

removal:

Tree Removal: Trees may only be removed if 

clearly needed for ecological restoration and 

maintenance or public safety. I have reviewed the 

comments received on the term “removal,” in the 

particular context of “tree removal” as stated in the 

Proclamation, to determine which definition to use 

for resource management in the Monument. I agree 

that “tree removal” is defined as “to take away or 

off of the Monument.”
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81

As the Monument plan is developed, the 

environmental impact statement will be prepared to 

evaluate tree removal within the context of biomass 

removal during restoration activities. A number of 

restoration activities are likely to remove some form 

of biomass. The biomass removal may be in the 

form of burning on site, or production of secondary 

products such as wood chips, lumber, or other wood 

products (Terrell 2009).

An evaluation of clear need is required and will 

be completed before any site-specific projects that 

propose tree removal take place in the Monument. 

When evaluating if tree removal is clearly needed 

for ecological restoration and maintenance or public 

safety, the following removal criteria (numbered R1 

through R3) will be applied. If the proposed treatment 

will also involve the felling of standing trees, the 

Forest Service will first apply the tree felling criteria 

(F1 through F5) outlined below, and will then apply 

the tree removal criteria.

The criteria to be applied in determining a clear need 

for the removal of trees are as follows:

R1. Protection of Objects of Interest: If keeping 

one or more trees on site would cause unacceptable 

fuels accumulation and fire severity effects 

(high tree mortality when fire is reintroduced); if 

removing trees would reduce the risk of wildfire to 

the giant sequoia groves, sensitive wildlife habitat, 

and adjacent communities at risk.

Woody debris has accumulated, causing an unprecedented buildup of surface fuels. One of the 

most immediate consequences of these changes 

is an increased hazard of wildfires of a severity 

that was rarely encountered in pre-Euroamerican 

times. Outstanding opportunities exist for studying the consequences of different approaches to 

mitigating these conditions and restoring natural 

forest resilience (Clinton 2000, pp. 24095-24096).

R2. Resiliency: If keeping one or more trees on 

site would provide a vector for insect or disease 

infestations at levels higher than currently known 

endemic levels.

These forests need restoration to counteract 

the effects of a century of fire suppression and 

logging. Fire suppression has caused forests to 

become denser in many areas, with increased 

dominance of shade-tolerant species. Woody 

debris has accumulated, causing an unprecedented 

buildup of surface fuels. One of the most 

immediate consequences of these changes is an 

increased hazard of wildfires of a severity that 

was rarely encountered in pre-Euroamerican times 

(Clinton 2000, p. 24095).

R3. Public Safety: If keeping one or more trees on 

site would create a public safety hazard or attractive 

nuisance. For example, Forest Service policy is 

to mitigate safety hazards in developed recreation 

sites, including trees or tree limbs identified as 

hazardous (FSM 2330.6a). Depending on the 

situation, down trees in a developed recreation 

site or administrative site may present a hazard if 

people are likely to climb on them and potentially 

fall and get hurt (becomes more likely if the 

logs are large and/or they are piled on top of one 

another). Down trees may also present a hazard in 

administrative sites, developed recreation sites, and 

along roadsides where they would add to existing 

fuel loads, making fire control and emergency 

evacuation more difficult; or increase the likelihood 

of vehicle accidents along roadways. Examples 

of where down trees could contribute to traffic 

accidents include but are not limited to instances 

where trees or tree limbs would obstruct drivers’ 

lines of sight, provide hiding cover for wildlife, or 

could become an obstruction in the roadway (FSH 

7709.59, Sec. 41.7).

Tree Felling

Any projects which propose the felling of trees inside 

the Monument will be subject to the following five 

criteria (numbered F1 through F5) for tree felling. 

These five criteria shall apply to any treatments which 

involve the felling of trees, whether or not removal 

of those trees from the Monument is also proposed. 

Where removal of the felled trees from the Monument 

is proposed, the proposal will also be subject to the 

“clearly needed” evaluation for tree and down log 

removal (criteria numbered R1 through R3) outlined 

above.

The Forest Service shall apply the following five 

criteria when proposing the felling of trees inside the 

Monument.

F1. Resiliency: If maintaining one or more standing 

trees on a site would deplete moisture, light, or 
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Management Plan Giant Sequoia National Monument

82

nutritional resources critical to the health and 

survival of the plant community or forest.

These forests need restoration to counteract 

the effects of a century of fire suppression and 

logging. Fire suppression has caused forests to 

become denser in many areas, with increased 

dominance of shade-tolerant species. Woody 

debris has accumulated, causing an unprecedented 

buildup of surface fuels. One of the most 

immediate consequences of these changes is an 

increased hazard of wildfires of a severity that 

was rarely encountered in pre-Euroamerican times 

(Clinton 2000, p. 24095).

F2. Regeneration: If maintaining one or more 

standing trees on a site would adversely affect the 

regeneration, longevity, or growth of giant sequoias 

and other desired species.

...a century of fire suppression has led to an 

unprecedented failure in sequoia reproduction in 

otherwise undisturbed groves (Clinton 2000, 

p. 24095).

F3. Heterogeneity: If maintaining one or more 

standing trees on a site would adversely affect the 

desired diversity or structure of a stand or forest.

Sequoias and their surrounding ecosystems 

provide a context for understanding ongoing 

environmental changes (Clinton 2000, p. 24095).

F4. Public Safety: If maintaining one or more 

standing trees on site would create a public safety 

hazard. Forest Service policy is to mitigate safety 

hazards from recreation sites, administrative sites, 

and the public transportation system of roads and 

trails, including trees or tree limbs identified as 

hazardous (FSM 2330.6a).

F5. Recreation and Administrative Sites: Other 

projects that may be proposed in the Monument 

that could require tree felling include recreation or 

administrative site development and maintenance, 

scenic vistas, and road access and parking for these 

sites. These activities would meet the intent of the 

Proclamation, which provides the following:

The plan will provide for and encourage 

continued public and recreational access and use 

consistent with the purposes of the monument 

(Clinton 2000, p. 24097).

The management plan shall contain a 

transportation plan for the monument that 

provides for visitor enjoyment and understanding 

about the scientific and historic objects in the 

monument, consistent with their protection. For 

the purposes of protecting the objects included 

in the monument, motorized vehicle use will 

be permitted only on designated roads, and 

non-motorized mechanized vehicle use will be 

permitted only on designated roads and trails, 

except for emergency or authorized administrative 

purposes or to provide access for persons with 

disabilities. No new roads or trails will be 

authorized within the monument except to further 

the purposes of the monument (Clinton 2000, 

p. 24098).

Decision Tree

Advisory IV, Restoration of the Natural Fire Regime, 

and Advisory XXVIII, Decision Tree, from the Scientific Advisory Board, advise that a decision tree be 

developed to help determine which methods of forest 

restoration and maintenance should apply at different 

locations (The Scientific Advisory Board 2003).

This decision tree (shown on the following page) will 

be used for each site-specific project proposed in the 

Monument. The desire to return the Monument to 

natural cycles and processes, including a natural fire 

interval, makes managed wildfire the preferred tool 

to accomplish ecological restoration and maintenance 

(as shown in Box #1). As the decision tree shows, 

the risks, feasibility, and effectiveness of using 

managed wildfire will be assessed to determine if it 

would meet ecological objectives and help protect 

the objects of interest. The evaluation will consider 

combining managed wildfire (when available) with 

other management tools to meet the purpose and need 

for the project. The availability of managed wildfire is 

difficult to anticipate. Managed wildfire is considered 

available if a naturally-ignited wildfire is burning at 

the desired time to initiate a project, or during project 

planning or implementation. If managed wildfire 

is available, the risks and effectiveness of using it 

will be weighed using the Wildland Fire Decision 

Support System (WFDSS), or subsequent systems 

developed for this purpose. If managed wildfire is not 

available, or needs to be used in combination with 

other treatments, the use of prescribed fire will be 
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Giant Sequoia National Monument Management Plan

83

evaluated (as shown in Box #2). The use of fire, both 

managed wildfire and prescribed burning, will be 

considered first and favored as the dominant process 

to accomplish ecological restoration.

A risk assessment will be conducted of local 

conditions such as slope, fuel loadings, and proximity 

to communities, giant sequoia groves, fisher den sites, 

and nest trees. The effectiveness of using prescribed 

Figure 4 Decision Tree for Site-Specific Projects in the Monument

*Managed wildfire is considered available if a naturally-ignited wildfire is burning at the desired 

time to initiate a project, or during project planning or implementation.
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Management Plan Giant Sequoia National Monument

84

fire will be evaluated to determine if the prescribed 

fire treatment will meet ecological objectives and 

help protect the objects of interest. Factors such as 

the availability of personnel and favorable burn days 

will help determine the feasibility of the treatment. 

The evaluation will consider combining prescribed 

burning with other management tools to meet 

the purpose and need for the project. If the use of 

prescribed fire would create unacceptable risk to the 

objects of interest, to forest users, or to communities; 

or would not meet ecological restoration objectives; 

or would not be feasible; or needs to be used in 

combination with other treatments, the use of 

mechanical treatment without tree removal will be 

assessed (as shown in Box #3). The use of mechanical 

treatment without tree removal will be assessed in 

a manner similar to the use of managed wildfire 

and prescribed fire, to determine if it would reduce 

risk and improve effectiveness and/or feasibility. 

The evaluation will consider combining mechanical 

treatments with other management tools to meet the 

purpose and need for the project.

Mechanical treatment with tree removal (Box #4) 

will only be considered if other methods do not meet 

ecological objectives in the project purpose and 

need. Additional analyses of the risks and hazards of 

leaving the trees in the Monument, the effectiveness 

of the treatment, and feasibility must show that 

mechanical treatment with tree removal is clearly 

needed to reduce the risk to acceptable levels, make 

the project effective in meeting restoration and 

protection objectives, and make it feasible. Only by 

meeting these criteria, would tree removal be used as 

part of a viable project. 

It is possible that projects will plan to use a 

combination of management tools. For example, 

managed wildfire may be acceptable under certain 

conditions, but not others. Where it is acceptable, 

it may be appropriate to plan for either managed 

wildfire or prescribed burning as the method to meet 

project objectives. Some projects may include a 

combination of fire and mechanical treatments. For 

example, in areas with heavy fuel accumulations, 

mechanical treatments could be used before fire 

is introduced to reduce risks and increase the 

effectiveness of prescribed burning or managed 

wildfire.

Standards and Guidelines

Standards and guidelines are requirements that 

preclude or impose limitations on resource 

management activities and are designed to be 

consistent with the objectives and desired conditions; 

they come into play as site-specific activities are 

planned to implement the Monument Plan. The 

standards and guidelines act as thresholds or 

constraints for management activities or practices to 

ensure the protection of resources. They may apply 

to the entire Monument or they may only apply to 

certain land allocations. The following standards 

and guidelines for the Monument are organized by 

resource area.

Standard/Guideline

Vegetation, including Giant Sequoias

Monument-wide(1)

1. For all projects that include a proposal for tree removal from within the Monument, except for personal use 

fuelwood, conduct an evaluation to document the clear need for removing trees for ecological restoration and 

maintenance or public safety.

2. When implementing vegetation and fuels treatments, retain all conifer trees with a dbh of 20 inches or greater 

in westside forest types. Retain montane hardwoods with a dbh of 12 inches or larger in westside forest types. 

Occasional mortality of larger trees is expected to occur; however, design prescribed fire prescriptions and 

techniques to minimize the loss of large trees and large down material.

3. Incidental removal of trees that present safety hazards may deviate from vegetation management standards 

and guidelines.

1. These standards and guidelines apply across all land allocations/management areas in the Monument (other than Wilderness and Wild and 

Scenic Rivers).
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Standard/Guideline

4. Fall and remove hazard trees along Maintenance Level 3, 4, and 5 roads and within or immediately adjacent 

(tree falling distance) to administrative sites. Review by an appropriate resource specialist is required prior to 

falling hazard trees along Maintenance Level 1 and 2 roads. Retain felled trees, where needed, to meet down 

woody material standards.

5. Plant all regeneration areas requiring reforestation except where natural seeding is prescribed. Regeneration 

by natural seeding will be applied primarily in the true fir type.

6. Both natural and artificial regeneration shall be used as appropriate.

7. Save viable existing reproduction where feasible and incorporate into silvicultural prescriptions for new 

stands.

8. Utilize current state-of-the-art regeneration techniques including controlling pests, such as gophers, and 

controlling competing vegetation.

9. Make dead and down woody material available for firewood gathering.

10. In order to maintain forest diversity, particularly within the mixed conifer forest type, reforestation and timber 

stand improvement prescriptions shall generally emulate desired species composition. Variation from this 

guideline will be the exception and will be discussed in an environmental document.

11. Design vegetation treatments to provide for edge corridors of cover and enhancement of special habitat 

features such as meadows for wildlife.

Giant Sequoia Groves(2)

12. Protect and manage giant sequoias to perpetuate the species and preserve old growth specimen trees.

13. Any naturally-occurring giant sequoia (1 foot or larger dbh) which is located within 500 feet of at least 3 

other giant sequoias (each 1 foot or larger dbh), shall always be included within the hypothetical perimeter line 

(of the grove).

14. Refine the lower boundary of the zone of influence (ZOI) as necessary for groves adjacent to, included in, or 

in any way affected by proposed site-specific projects, to protect the giant sequoia groves and their associated 

ecosystems. Survey stream channels where downstream riparian ecotype is unknown, assign the downstream 

ecotype(s), identify the nearest stable stream channel below the grove, and refine the ZOI based on this new 

information (North et al 2002). 

15. Several adjacent groves are to be managed as if they were one large grove, the hypothetical perimeter line, 

as defined, shall be a single line around the outermost giant sequoia trees in the complex of groves, taken as a 

whole.

16. Restrict mechanical entry and vegetation management within grove administrative boundaries. The 

following mechanical/motorized uses will be permitted within the grove boundary line: 

a. Use of existing roads, 

b. Management in accordance with approved fuel load reduction plans, where clearly needed for ecological 

restoration and maintenance or public safety, 

c. Use of light equipment to build and/or maintain trails, 

d. Expansion of parking areas for trailheads, 

e. Use of equipment to fight wildfires (use of heavy equipment off of existing roads will require Forest 

Supervisor approval), and 

f. Use of battery-operated wheelchairs. In Indian Basin Grove, there will be no felling of trees except for safety 

reasons in and near the Princess Campground area south and east of Highway 180.

17. Protect the named sequoias (such as the Boole Tree) from wildfires and fuels reduction activities. Protect 

these trees by pulling fuels away from the base of the tree or removing ladder fuels that can promote a crown 

fire in the named sequoia.

2. Using the ZOI grove allocation boundary.
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Management Plan Giant Sequoia National Monument

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Standard/Guideline

18. Manage the Freeman Creek Grove Management Area as a Botanical Area.

Sugar Pine

19. Silvicultural prescriptions are to consider means of maintaining the widest possible base of sugar pine 

genes. Generally, this means protecting as many sugar pine trees as possible while meeting land management 

plan objectives.

20. Continue to plant a modest mix (5-10 percent) of sugar pine along with other mixed conifer species. This 

may mean collecting seed from non-tested trees in order to maintain a sugar pine seedbank. With resistant 

stock this percentage could be increased.

21. Intensify the effort to collect sample cones from candidate resistant trees. This is a high priority.

22. Continue to protect trees that are known to carry resistance. Collect seed from these trees for our seedbank.

Young Stands, Including Plantations

23. In young stands of trees, apply the necessary silvicultural and fuels reduction treatments to: (a) accelerate 

the development of old forest characteristics, (b) increase stand heterogeneity, (c) promote hardwoods, and 

(d) reduce risk of loss to wildland fire. Use mechanical fuels treatments to remove the material necessary 

to achieve the following outcomes if the treated plantation was to burn under 90th percentile fire weather 

conditions: (a) wildland fire would burn with average flame lengths of 2 to 4 feet, (b) the rate of fire spread would 

be less than 50 percent of the pre-treatment rate of spread, and (c) fireline production rates would be doubled. 

Achieve these outcomes by reducing surface and ladder fuels and adjacent crown fuels. Treatments should be 

effective for more than 5 years.

Hardwood Ecosystems

24. During or prior to landscape analysis, spatially determine distributions of existing and potential natural 

hardwood ecosystems (Forest Service Handbook 2090.11). Identify hardwood restoration and enhancement 

projects.

25. Manage hardwood ecosystems for a diversity of hardwood tree size classes such that seedlings, saplings, 

and pole-sized trees are sufficiently abundant to replace large trees that die and maintain mast production.

26. Where possible, create openings around existing California black oaks and canyon live oaks to stimulate 

natural regeneration.

27. Retain the mix of mast-producing species where they exist within a stand.

28. Retain all blue oak and valley oak trees except where: (a) stand restoration strategies call for tree removal; 

(b) trees are lost to fire; or (c) tree removal is needed for public health and safety.

29. When planning prescribed fire or mechanical treatments in hardwood ecosystems: (a) consider the risk of 

noxious weed spread and (b) minimize effects to hardwood ecosystem structure and biodiversity.

Fire and Fuels

Monument-wide

1. Use the most recent inventories of fuel load to develop a fuel load reduction plan for each giant sequoia 

grove (within its administrative boundaries).

2. Incorporate fuel treatment and protection planning into reforestation plans. Ensure that tree stocking levels 

and silvicultural goals are consistent with fuel reduction objectives in plantations located in high and moderate 

fire hazard and risk areas.

3. Limit the structural change to treatment acres by mechanical methods to one per decade. Treatments 

should be designed to be effective for at least 10 years. When subsequent entries within 10 years are needed 

to reduce surface fuels, prescribed fire is the preferred method. When burning opportunities are limited, 

mechanical treatments, such as mastication and piling, are allowed.

4. Use lightning-caused fires to reduce fuel loads or to provide other resource benefits, such as conserving 

populations of fire-dependent species.

5. For prescribed fire treatments, use multiple entries, as needed, to achieve fuels management objectives, up 

to two burns per decade and four burns over 20 years.
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Standard/Guideline

6. When planning prescribed fire or mechanical treatments in hardwood ecosystems: (a) consider the risk of 

noxious weed spread and (b) minimize effects to hardwood ecosystem structure and biodiversity.

7. Design treatments in brush and shrub patches to remove the material necessary to achieve the following 

outcomes from wildland fire under 90th percentile fire weather conditions: (a) wildland fires would burn with an 

average flame length of 8 feet or less; (b) the fire’s rate of spread would be less than 50 percent of the pretreatment rate of spread; and (c) fireline production rates would be doubled. Treatments should be effective for 

more than 5 years.

Old Forest Emphasis Area

8. Design mechanical fuel treatments to remove the material necessary to achieve the following outcomes:

● On over 75 percent of the stand area achieve an average flame length of 6 feet or less if the stand was to 

burn under 90th percentile fire weather conditions.

● Stands with less than 40 percent canopy cover, achieve an average live crown base height of 15 feet.

● Stands with 40 to 70 percent canopy cover, achieve an average live crown base height of 20 feet.

● Stands with greater than 70 percent canopy cover, achieve an average live crown base height of 25 feet.

To enhance stand heterogeneity and to maintain intact biological processes, particularly soil biota that may be 

affected by mechanical treatments, do not mechanically treat the remaining 25 percent of the stand area.

9. Where mechanical treatments are necessary, design treatments to achieve or approach the fuels outcomes 

described above by reducing surface and ladder fuels. Apply treatments to enhance stand heterogeneity. Allow 

incidental felling of trees between 12 and 20 inches dbh where required for operability. Retain felled trees on the 

ground, where needed, to achieve down woody material standards of 10 to 20 tons per acre in logs greater than 

12 inches diameter at midpoint.

10. Do not reduce canopy cover in dominant and co-dominant trees by more than 10 percent across a stand 

following mechanical treatments. (For example, if canopy cover in a stand’s dominant and co-dominant trees 

is 80 percent, retain at least 70 percent canopy cover in dominant and co-dominant trees following mechanical 

treatment.)

11. In westside forest types, where pre-treatment canopy cover is between 50 and 59 percent, design 

mechanical treatments to retain a minimum of 50 percent canopy cover in dominant and co-dominant trees. Do 

not reduce canopy cover in stands that currently have between 40 and 50 percent canopy cover, except where 

canopy cover reductions result from removing shade-tolerant trees less than 6 inches dbh.

12. Give priority to restoring historic fire return intervals where possible. Emphasize fire restoration in pine and 

mixed-conifer forests. In mixed-conifer forests, fire return intervals vary by aspect and topographic position, with 

most frequent burning on south- and west-facing aspects.

13. Emphasize fuel treatments in stands at lower elevations with high fire hazard in the pine and mixed conifer 

forest types. Emphasize fuel treatments on the upper two-thirds of south- and west-facing aspects near roads. 

Use mechanical treatments where fire managers determine a high potential for: (a) prescribed fire escape due 

to excessive fuel accumulations; (b) unacceptable smoke effects; or (c) canopy cover and old forest structure 

loss due to excessive surface and ladder fuels.

Wilderness

14. In wilderness, use naturally ignited wildfires to meet management strategies when fuel loading and natural 

barriers will limit the final fire perimeter to a planned boundary under the most severe weather conditions.

WUI Defense Zone

15. Design mechanical fuel treatments to remove the material necessary to achieve the following outcomes: 

(a) On more than 90 percent of the stand area, achieve an average flame length of 4 feet or less if the stand 

was to burn under 90th percentile fire weather conditions; (b) On stands with less than 40 percent canopy cover, 

achieve an average live crown base height of 15 feet; 40 to 70 percent canopy cover, achieve an average live 

crown base height of 20 feet; and greater than 70 percent canopy cover, achieve an average live crown base 

height of 25 feet.
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Management Plan Giant Sequoia National Monument

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Standard/Guideline

16. To enhance stand heterogeneity, do not mechanically treat the remaining 10 percent of the stand area.

17. Achieve the fuels outcomes described above through thinning from below to remove surface and ladder 

fuels.

WUI Threat Zone

18. Design mechanical fuel treatments to remove the material necessary to achieve the following outcomes: 

(a) On more than 85 percent of the stand area, achieve an average flame length of 6 feet or less if the stand 

was to burn under 90th percentile fire weather conditions; (b) On stands with less than 40 percent canopy cover, 

achieve an average live crown base height of 15 feet; 40 to 70 percent canopy cover, achieve an average live 

crown base height of 20 feet; and greater than 70 percent canopy cover, achieve an average live crown base 

height of 25 feet.

19. To enhance stand heterogeneity, do not mechanically treat the remaining 15 percent of the stand area.

20. Design mechanical treatments to achieve the fuels outcomes described above through understory thinning 

to remove surface and ladder fuels up to 20 inches dbh. Focus treatments on removing suppressed and intermediate trees. Apply treatments to enhance stand heterogeneity. When conducting treatments in dense stands 

with uniform tree size and spacing, introduce heterogeneity into such stands by creating small (typically less 

than 1 acre), irregularly spaced openings. Canopy cover reductions may be needed to meet fuels objectives, 

but do not exceed a 20 percent reduction in the dominant and co-dominant trees. For example, a stand’s canopy cover may be reduced from a pre-treatment level of 70 percent down to 50 percent to meet fuels objectives.

21. In westside forest types, where pre-treatment canopy cover is between 50 and 59 percent, design 

mechanical treatments to retain a minimum of 50 percent canopy cover in dominant and co-dominant trees. In 

stands that currently have between 40 and 50 percent canopy cover, do not reduce canopy cover except where 

canopy cover reductions result from removing primarily shade-tolerant trees less than 6 inches dbh.

22. For prescribed fire treatments, use multiple entries, as needed, to achieve fuels management objectives, up 

to two burns per decade and four burns over 20 years.

General Monument(3)

23. Design mechanical fuel treatments to remove the material necessary to achieve the following outcomes: 

(a) On more than 75 percent of the stand area, achieve an average flame length of 6 feet or less if the stand 

was to burn under 90th percentile fire weather conditions; (b) On stands with less than 40 percent canopy cover, 

achieve an average live crown base height of 15 feet; 40 to 70 percent canopy cover, achieve an average live 

crown base height of 20 feet; and greater than 70 percent canopy cover, achieve an average live crown base 

height of 25 feet.

24. To enhance stand heterogeneity, do not mechanically treat the remaining 25 percent of the stand area.

25. Design mechanical treatments to achieve the fuels outcomes described above through understory thinning 

to remove surface and ladder fuels up to 20 inches in diameter. Focus treatments on removing suppressed and 

intermediate conifer trees.

Air Quality

Monument-wide

1. Continue the visibility monitoring program and determine sensitive indicators for each air quality-related value 

in national forest class I areas. Protect air quality-related values by reviewing all projects and management 

activities that may affect those values. Review external prevention of significant deterioration (PSD) source 

applications and make recommendations to permitting authorities.

2. Minimize resource and air quality effects from air pollutants generated by management activities through use 

of the following control measures:

a. Follow dust abatement procedures.

3. The 2001 SNFPA called this land allocation General Forest. For the Monument, it is called General Monument and includes any area in the 

Monument that is outside of other allocations.
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Standard/Guideline

b. Conduct an air quality analysis for all projects that may impair air quality to determine effects, mitigations, 

and/or controls. 

c. Respond to local planning and regulatory authorities when development outside forest jurisdiction may affect 

forest resources.

d. Conduct prescribed burning activities in accordance with air pollution control district regulations and with 

proper prescriptions to assure good smoke management.

e. Notify the public before burning.

3. Minimize smoke emissions by following best available control measures (BACMs). Avoid burning on high 

visitor days. Notify the public before burning.

4. Coordinate and cooperate with other agencies and the public to manage air quality. Conduct prescribed 

burns when conditions for smoke dispersal are favorable, especially away from sensitive or class I areas. Use 

smoke modeling tools to predict smoke dispersion.

Wildlife and Plant Habitat(4)

Wildlife Habitat

Monument-wide

1. Fell and/or remove snags as needed to address imminent safety hazards.

2. Manage snag levels for ecological restoration. Within green forests, design projects to provide a sustainable 

population of medium- and large-diameter snags. Existing medium- and large-diameter snags, as well as 

medium- and large-diameter living trees that exhibit form and/or decay characteristics regarded as important 

wildlife habitat (e.g., have substantial wood defect, teakettle branches, broken tops, large cavities in the bole, 

etc.), will form the backbone snag network over large landscapes.

In areas burned by wildfire, including high- and mid-severity patches, manage snag levels to meet ecological 

restoration objectives, with consideration for the spatial arrangement and density of snags for wildlife 

needs. Include site-specific considerations such as a wider range of snag sizes and densities, and focal 

placement of snags and snag patches.

3. Retain felled trees on the ground where needed to achieve down woody material standards of 10 to 20 tons 

per acre in logs greater than 12 inches in diameter.

4. Upon detection (photograph, track plate, or sighting verified by a wildlife biologist) of a wolverine or Sierra 

Nevada red fox, conduct an analysis to determine if activities within 5 miles of the detection have a potential 

to affect the species. For a 2-year period following the detection, restrict activities that are determined in the 

analysis to have an adverse effect from January 1 to June 30.

5. Prior to undertaking vegetation treatments in suitable California spotted owl habitat with unknown occupancy, 

conduct surveys in accordance with Pacific Southwest Region survey protocol. Designate California spotted owl 

protected activity centers (PACs) where appropriate based on survey results.

6. Prior to undertaking vegetation treatments in suitable northern goshawk nesting habitat that is not within 

an existing California spotted owl or northern goshawk PAC, conduct surveys using Pacific Southwest Region 

survey protocols. Suitable northern goshawk nesting habitat is defined as follows: stands with an average tree 

size of 11 inches dbh or greater and at least 40 percent canopy cover.

7. Conduct additional surveys to established protocols to follow up reliable sightings of great gray owls.

Old Forest Emphasis Area

8. Minimize old forest habitat fragmentation. Assess potential effects of fragmentation on old forest associated 

species (particularly fisher and marten) in biological evaluations. 

9. Assess the potential effects of projects on the connectivity of habitat for old forest associated species.

4. Including Threatened, Endangered, and Sensitive Species; Management Indicator Species; Botanical Resources; and Invasive Nonnative 

Species.
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10. Consider forested linkages (with canopy cover greater than 40 percent) that are interconnected via riparian 

areas and ridgetop saddles during landscape-level and project-level analysis.

11. During landscape analysis, identify areas for acquisition, exchange, or conservation easements to enhance 

connectivity of habitat for old forest associated species. Assign a priority order for these areas.

California Spotted Owl PACs and HRCAs

12. Delineate California spotted owl protected activity centers (PACs) surrounding each territorial owl activity 

center detected on National Forest System lands since 1986. Owl PACs are designated for all territorial owls 

based on: (1) the most recent documented nest site, (2) the most recent known roost site when a nest location 

remains unknown, and (3) a central point based on repeated daytime detections when neither nest or roost 

locations are known.

13. Delineate PACs to: (1) include known and suspected nest stands and (2) encompass the best available 300 

acres of habitat in as compact a unit as possible. Select the best available habitat for PACs to incorporate: 

(1) two or more tree canopy layers; (2) trees in the dominant and co-dominant crown classes averaging 24 

inches dbh or greater; (3) at least 70 percent tree canopy cover (including hardwoods); and (4) in descending 

order of priority, CWHR classes 6, 5D, 5M, 4D, and 4M and other stands with at least 50 percent canopy cover 

(including hardwoods). Use aerial photography interpretation and field verification, as needed, to delineate 

PACs.

14. As additional nest location and habitat data become available, review boundaries of PACs and make 

adjustments as necessary to better include known and suspected nest stands and to encompass the best 

available 300 acres of habitat.

15. When activities are planned adjacent to non-national forest lands, check available databases for the 

presence of nearby California spotted owl activity centers on non-national forest lands. Delineate a 300-acre 

circular area centered on the activity center. Designate and manage any part of the circular 300-acre area that 

lies on national forest lands as a California spotted owl PAC.

16. When activities are planned within or adjacent to a PAC and the location of the nest site or activity center is 

uncertain, conduct surveys to establish or confirm the location of the nest or activity center.

17. Maintain PACs regardless of California spotted owl occupancy status, unless habitat is rendered unsuitable 

by a catastrophic stand-replacing event and surveys conducted to protocol confirm non-occupancy.

18. Maintain a limited operating period (LOP), prohibiting activities within approximately 1⁄4 mile of the nest site 

during the breeding season (March 1 through August 15) unless surveys confirm that California spotted owls 

are not nesting. The LOP does not apply to existing road and trail use and maintenance or continuing recreation 

use, except where analysis of proposed projects or activities determines that either existing or proposed 

activities are likely to result in nest disturbance.

19. The LOP may be waived for individual projects or activities of limited scope and duration or when a 

biological evaluation documents that such projects are unlikely to result in breeding disturbance considering 

their intensity, duration, timing, and specific location. Where a biological evaluation determines that a nest 

site will be shielded from planned activities by topographic features that minimize disturbance, the LOP buffer 

distance may be reduced.

20. The LOP may be waived, where necessary, to allow for early season prescribed burning in up to 5 percent 

of the California spotted owl PACs on a national forest per year.

21. The LOP may be modified or waived to assess the effects of prescribed fire and mechanical treatments on 

breeding owls as a formal adaptive management study developed in cooperation with the Pacific Southwest 

Research Station.

22. In PACs located outside the defense zone of the wildland urban intermix zone: Limit stand-altering activities 

to reducing surface and ladder fuels through prescribed fire treatments. In forested stands with overstory trees 

11 inches dbh and greater, design prescribed fire treatments that have an average flame length of 4 feet or less. 

Prior to burning, conduct hand treatments, including handline construction, tree pruning, and cutting of small 

trees (less than 6 inches dbh), within a 1- to 2-acre area surrounding known nest trees, as needed, to protect 

nest trees and trees in their immediate vicinity.
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23. In PACs located inside the defense zone of the wildland urban intermix zone: Prohibit mechanical 

treatments within a 500-foot radius buffer around the California spotted owl activity center. Allow prescribed 

burning within the 500-foot radius buffer. Prior to burning, conduct hand treatments, including handline 

construction, tree pruning, and cutting of small trees (less than 6 inches dbh), within a 1- to 2-acre area 

surrounding known nest trees, as needed, to protect nest trees and trees in their immediate vicinity. The 

remaining area of the PAC may be mechanically treated to achieve the fuels reduction outcomes described for 

the General Monument land allocation.

24. Evaluate proposals for new roads, trails, and recreational and other developments for their potential to 

disturb nest sites. Mitigate effects where there is documented evidence of disturbance to the nest site from 

existing recreation, trail, and road uses (including road maintenance).

25. Establish a home range core area surrounding each territorial spotted owl activity center detected after 

1986. Home range core area size is 600 acres on the Sequoia National Forest.

26. Use aerial photography to delineate California spotted owl home range core areas. Identify acreage for 

the entire core area on national forest lands. Delineate core areas to encompass the best available California 

spotted owl habitat in the closest proximity to the owl activity center. Select the best available contiguous habitat 

to incorporate: (1) two or more tree canopy layers; (2) trees in the dominant and co-dominant crown classes 

averaging 24 inches dbh or greater; and (3) in descending order of priority, CWHR classes 6, 5D, 5M, 4D and 

4M and other stands with at least 50 percent tree canopy cover (including hardwoods). The acreage in the 300-

acre PAC counts toward the total home range core area. Delineate core areas within 1.5 miles of the activity 

center.

27. When activities are planned adjacent to non-national forest lands, delineate circular core areas around 

California spotted owl activity centers on non-national forest lands. Using the best available habitat as described 

above, designate and manage any part of the circular core area that lies on national forest lands as a California 

spotted owl home range core area.

28. Fuel treatment standards and guidelines for California spotted owl home range core areas are identical to 

those presented for old forest emphasis areas above, except for the wildland urban intermix.

Northern Goshawk PACs

29. Delineate northern goshawk protected activity centers (PACs) surrounding all known and newly discovered 

breeding territories detected on National Forest System lands. Designate northern goshawk PACs based upon 

the latest documented nest site and location(s) of alternate nests. If the actual nest site is not located, designate 

the PAC based on the location of territorial adult birds or recently fledged juvenile goshawks during the fledgling 

dependency period.

30. Delineate PACs to: (1) include known and suspected nest stands and (2) encompass the best available 

200 acres of forested habitat in the largest contiguous patches possible, based on aerial photography. 

Where suitable nesting habitat occurs in small patches, define PACs as multiple blocks in the largest best 

available patches within 0.5 miles of one another. Best available forested stands for PACs have the following 

characteristics: (1) trees in the dominant and co-dominant crown classes average 24 inches dbh or greater; 

(2) in westside conifer and eastside mixed-conifer forest types, stands have at least 70 percent tree canopy 

cover. Non-forest vegetation (such as brush and meadows) should not be counted as part of the 200 acres.

31. As additional nest location and habitat data become available, review boundaries of PACs and make 

adjustments, as necessary, to better include known and suspected nest stands and to encompass the best 

available 200 acres of forested habitat.

32. When activities are planned adjacent to non-national forest lands, check available databases for the 

presence of nearby northern goshawk activity centers on non-national forest lands. Delineate a 200-acre 

circular area centered on the activity center. Designate and manage any part of the circular 200-acre area that 

lies on national forest lands as a northern goshawk PAC.

33. When activities are planned within or adjacent to a PAC and the location of the nest site or activity center is 

uncertain, conduct surveys to establish or confirm the location of the nest or activity center.
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34. Maintain PACs regardless of northern goshawk occupancy status, unless habitat is rendered unsuitable by 

a catastrophic stand-replacing event and surveys conducted to protocol confirm non-occupancy.

35. Maintain a limited operating period (LOP), prohibiting activities within approximately 1⁄4 mile of the nest 

site during the breeding season (February 15 through September 15) unless surveys confirm that northern 

goshawks are not nesting. If the nest stand is unknown, either apply the LOP to a 1⁄4-mile area surrounding the 

PAC or survey to determine the nest stand location. The LOP does not apply to existing road and trail use and 

maintenance or continuing recreation use, except where analysis of proposed projects or activities determines 

that either existing or proposed activities are likely to result in nest disturbance.

36. The LOP may be waived for individual projects or activities of limited scope and duration or when a 

biological evaluation documents that such projects are unlikely to result in breeding disturbance considering 

their intensity, duration, timing, and specific location. Where a biological evaluation determines that a nest 

site will be shielded from planned activities by topographic features that minimize disturbance, the LOP buffer 

distance may be reduced.

37. The LOP may be waived, where necessary, to allow for early season prescribed burning in up to 5 percent 

of the northern goshawk PACs on a national forest per year.

38. Evaluate proposals for new roads, trails, and recreational and other developments for their potential to 

disturb nest sites. Mitigate effects where there is documented evidence of disturbance to the nest site from 

existing recreation, trail, and road uses (including road maintenance).

39. In PACs located outside the defense zone of the wildland urban intermix zone: Limit stand-altering activities 

to reducing surface and ladder fuels through prescribed fire treatments. In forested stands with overstory trees 

11 inches dbh and greater, design prescribed fire treatments that have an average flame length of 4 feet or less. 

Prior to burning, conduct hand treatments, including handline construction, tree pruning, and cutting of small 

trees (less than 6 inches dbh), within a 1- to 2-acre area surrounding known nest trees, as needed, to protect 

nest trees and trees in their immediate vicinity.

40. In PACs located inside the defense zone of the wildland urban intermix zone: Prohibit mechanical 

treatments within a 500-foot radius buffer around nest trees. Allow prescribed burning within the 500-foot radius 

buffer. Prior to burning, conduct hand treatments, including handline construction, tree pruning, and cutting of 

small trees (less than 6 inches dbh), within a 1- to 2-acre area surrounding known nest trees, as needed, to 

protect nest trees and trees in their immediate vicinity. The remaining area of the PAC may be mechanically 

treated to achieve the fuels reduction outcomes described for the General Monument land allocation.

Great Gray Owl PACs

41. Establish and maintain a protected activity center (PAC) that includes the forested area and adjacent 

meadow around all known great gray owl nest stands. Delineate at least 50 acres of the highest quality nesting 

habitat (CWHR types 6, 5D, and 5M) available in the forested area surrounding the nest. Also include the 

meadow or meadow complex that supports the prey base for nesting owls.

42. Apply a limited operating period (LOP), prohibiting vegetation management activities and road construction 

within 1⁄4 mile of active great gray owl nest stands during the nesting period (typically March 1 to August 15). The 

LOP does not apply to: (1) existing road traffic and road maintenance, (2) trail uses, and (3) other recreational 

uses and activities, unless a biological evaluation documents that these activities will result in nest disturbance. 

The LOP may also be waived for projects of limited scope and duration.

43. Evaluate proposals for new roads, trails, and recreational and other developments for their potential to 

disturb nest sites. Mitigate effects where there is documented evidence of disturbance to the nest site from 

existing recreation, trail, and road uses (including road maintenance).

44. In meadow areas of great gray owl PACs, maintain herbaceous vegetation at a height commensurate 

with site capability and habitat needs of prey species. Where available, follow regional guidance to determine 

potential prey species and associated habitat requirements at the project level.
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Southern Sierra Fisher Conservation Area (SSFCA)/Furbearer Den Sites

45. Assess the effect of vegetation management on Pacific fisher habitat using models appropriate for the scale 

of the project.

46. Because the effects of prescribed fire on key components of fisher habitat are uncertain, give preference to 

mechanical treatments over prescribed fire. However, prescribed fire may be applied to achieve restoration and 

regeneration objectives for fire-adapted giant sequoia.

47. In areas outside the wildland urban intermix zone, manage each planning watershed to support fisher 

habitat requirements. Retain 60 percent of each 5,000- to 10,000-acre watershed in CWHR size class 4 

(average dbh of overstory trees between 11 and 24 inches) or greater and canopy cover greater than or equal 

to 60 percent.

48. Prior to vegetation treatments, identify important wildlife structures, such as large diameter snags and 

coarse woody material within the treatment unit. For prescribed fire treatments, use firing patterns, fire lines 

around snags and large logs, and other techniques to minimize effects on snags and large logs. Evaluate the 

effectiveness of these mitigation measures after treatment.

49. Fisher den sites are 700-acre buffers consisting of the highest quality habitat (CWHR size class 4 or greater 

and canopy cover greater than 60 percent) in a compact arrangement surrounding verified fisher birthing and kit 

rearing dens in the largest, most contiguous blocks available.

50. Protect fisher den site buffers from disturbance with a limited operating period (LOP) from March 1 

through June 30 for all new projects as long as habitat remains suitable or until another regionally approved 

management strategy is implemented. The LOP may be waived for individual projects of limited scope 

and duration, when a biological evaluation documents that such projects are unlikely to result in breeding 

disturbance considering their intensity, duration, timing, and specific location.

51. Evaluate the appropriateness of LOPs for existing uses in fisher den site buffers during environmental 

analysis.

52. Avoid fuel treatments in den site buffers to the extent possible. If areas within den site buffers must be 

treated to achieve fuels objectives for the wildland urban intermix zone, limit treatments to mechanical clearing 

of fuels. Treat ladder and surface fuels over 85 percent of the treatment unit to achieve fuels objectives. Use 

piling or mastication to treat surface fuels during initial treatment. Burning of piled debris is allowed. Prescribed 

fire may be used to treat fuels if no other reasonable alternative exists.

53. Evaluate proposals for new roads, trails, and recreational and other developments for their potential to 

disturb den sites. Mitigate effects where there is documented evidence of disturbance to the den site from 

existing recreation, trail, and road uses (including road maintenance).

Marten Den Sites

54. Marten den sites are 100-acre buffers consisting of the highest quality habitat in a compact arrangement 

surrounding the den site. CWHR Types 6, 5D, 5M, 4D, and 4M in descending order of priority, based on 

availability, provide highest quality habitat for the marten.

55. Protect marten den site buffers from disturbance with a limited operating period (LOP) from May 1 through 

July 31 for all new projects as long as habitat remains suitable or until another regionally approved management 

strategy is implemented.

56. Evaluate the appropriateness of LOPs for existing uses in marten den site buffers during environmental 

analysis.

57. Avoid fuel treatments in marten den site buffers to the extent possible. If areas within den site buffers must 

be treated to achieve fuels objectives for the wildland urban intermix zone, limit treatments to mechanical 

clearing of fuels. Treat ladder and surface fuels over 85 percent of the treatment unit to achieve fuels objectives. 

Use piling or mastication to treat surface fuels during initial treatment. Burning of piled debris is allowed. 

Prescribed fire may be used to treat fuels if no other reasonable alternative exists.
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58. Evaluate proposals for new roads, trails, and recreational and other developments for their potential to 

disturb den sites. Mitigate effects where there is documented evidence of disturbance to the den site from 

existing recreation, trail, and road uses (including road maintenance).

Willow Flycatcher Sites

59. Evaluate proposals for new concentrated stock areas (for example, livestock handling and management 

facilities, pack stations, equestrian stations, and corrals) located within five miles of occupied willow flycatcher 

sites.

60. As part of landscape analysis, give priority to meadow restoration opportunities near or adjacent to known 

willow flycatcher sites.

61. To the extent possible, construct no new roads in potential willow flycatcher habitat. Potential willow 

flycatcher habitat includes: (1) occupied willow flycatcher habitat, (2) known willow flycatcher sites, (3) emphasis 

habitat [meadows larger than 15 acres that have standing water on June 1 and a deciduous shrub component], 

and (4) small, wet woody meadows (meadows less than 15 acres that have standing water on June 1 and a 

deciduous shrub component.

62. Continue a 4-year cycle for conducting willow flycatcher surveys in all five known willow flycatcher sites in 

the Monument.

63. In meadows with occupied willow flycatcher sites, allow only late-season grazing (after August 15) in the 

entire meadow.

This standard and guideline may be waived if an interdisciplinary team has developed a site-specific meadow 

management strategy. This strategy is to be developed and implemented in partnership with the affected 

grazing permittee. The strategy objectives must focus on protecting the nest site and associated habitat during 

the breeding season and the long-term sustainability of suitable habitat at breeding sites. It may use a mix of 

management tools, including grazing systems, structural improvements, and other exclusion by management 

techniques to protect willow flycatcher habitat.

64. In willow flycatcher sites receiving late season grazing, monitor utilization annually using regional range 

analysis and planning guide. Monitor willow flycatcher habitat every 3 years using the following criteria: 

rooting depth cores for meadow condition, point intercepts for shrub foliar density, and strip transects for shrub 

recruitment and cover. Meadow condition assessments will be included in a GIS meadow coverage. If habitat 

conditions are not supporting the willow flycatcher or trend downward, modify or suspend grazing.

65. For historically occupied willow flycatcher sites, assess willow flycatcher habitat suitability within the 

meadow. If habitat is degraded, develop restoration objectives and take appropriate actions (such as physical 

restoration of hydrological components, limiting or re-directing grazing activity and so forth) to move the 

meadow toward desired conditions.

66. Evaluate site condition of historically occupied willow flycatcher sites. Those sites that no longer contain 

standing water on June 1 and a deciduous shrub component and cannot be reasonably restored may be 

removed from the willow flycatcher site database.

As part of the project planning process, survey emphasis habitat within five miles of occupied willow flycatcher 

sites to determine willow flycatcher occupancy. Emphasis habitat is defined as meadows larger than 15 acres 

that have standing water on June 1 and a deciduous shrub component. Use established protocols to conduct 

these surveys. If these surveys determine willow flycatcher occupancy, add these to the database of occupied 

willow flycatcher sites and include them in the 4-year survey cycle of willow flycatcher sites described above.

Plant Habitat(5)

Monument-wide

1. Minimize or eliminate direct and indirect effects on threatened, endangered, proposed, and sensitive (TEPS) 

plants unless management activities are designed to maintain or improve plant populations.

5. Includes Botanical Resources; Threatened, Endangered, and Sensitive Plants; and Invasive Nonnative Species.
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2. Prohibit or mitigate ground-disturbing activities that negatively affect hydrologic processes that maintain 

water flow, water quality, or temperature critical to sustaining fen ecosystems and the plant species dependent 

on them. During project analysis, survey, map and protect fens from activities such as trampling by livestock, 

pack stock, humans, and wheeled vehicles. Criteria for defining fens include, but are not limited to, presence of 

sphagnum moss (Sphagnum spp.), presence of mosses in the genus Meesia, or presence of sundew (Drosera 

spp.). Complete initial inventories of fens within active grazing allotments prior to re-issuing permits.

3. Conduct field surveys for TEPS plant species early enough in the project planning process so that the 

project can be designed to conserve or enhance TEPS plants and their habitat. Conduct surveys according to 

procedures outlined in the Forest Service Handbook (FSH 2609.25.11). If additional field surveys are conducted 

as part of project implementation, document the survey results in the project file.

Invasive Nonnative Species

Monument-wide

1. Inform forest users, local agencies, special use permittees, groups, and organizations in communities near 

national forests about noxious weed prevention and management.

2. Work cooperatively with California and Nevada state agencies and individual counties (for example, 

cooperative weed management areas) to: (1) prevent the introduction and establishment of noxious weed 

infestations and (2) control existing infestations.

3. As part of project planning, conduct a noxious weed risk assessment to determine risks for weed spread 

(high, moderate, or low) associated with different types of proposed management activities. Develop mitigation 

measures for high and moderate risk activities.

4. When prescribed in project-level noxious weed risk assessments, require off-road equipment and vehicles 

(both Forest Service and contracted) used for project implementation to be weed free. 

5. Minimize weed spread by incorporating weed prevention and control measures into ongoing management or 

maintenance activities that involve ground disturbance or the possibility of spreading weeds.

6. Conduct follow-up inspections of ground-disturbing activities.

7. Encourage use of certified weed free hay and straw. Cooperate with other agencies and the public in 

developing a certification program for weed free hay and straw. Phase in the program as certified weed free hay 

and straw becomes available. This standard and guideline applies to pack and saddle stock used by the public, 

livestock permittees, outfitter guide permittees, and local, state, and federal agencies.

8. Include weed prevention measures, as necessary, when amending or re-issuing permits (including, but not 

limited to, livestock grazing, special uses, and pack stock operator permits).

9. Include weed prevention measures and weed control treatments in mining reclamation plans. Monitor 

for weeds, as appropriate, for 2 years after project implementation (assuming no weed introductions have 

occurred).

10. Conduct a risk analysis for weed spread associated with burned area emergency rehabilitation (BAER) 

treatments (the BAER team is responsible for conducting this analysis). Monitor and treat weed infestations for 

three (3) years after the fire.

11. During landscape analysis or project-level planning, consider restoring or revegetating degraded 

ecosystems to minimize the potential for noxious weed re-infestations (USDA 2008; FSM Chapter 2070).

12. Consult with American Indians to determine priority areas for weed prevention and control where traditional 

gathering areas are threatened by weed infestations.

13. Review and update noxious weed inventories on an annual basis.

14. When new, small weed infestations are detected, emphasize eradication of these infestations while 

providing for the safety of field personnel.
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15. Routinely monitor noxious weed control projects to determine success and to evaluate the need for followup treatments or different control methods. Monitor known weed infestations, as appropriate, to determine 

changes in weed population density and rate of spread.

Range(6)

Monument-wide

1. Under season-long grazing: For meadows in early seral status—limit livestock utilization of grass and grasslike plants to 30 percent (or minimum 6-inch stubble height).

For meadows in late seral status—limit livestock utilization of grass and grass-like plants to a maximum of 40 

percent (or minimum 4-inch stubble height).

2. In meadow areas of great gray owl PACs, maintain herbaceous meadow vegetation at a height 

commensurate with site capability and habitat needs of prey species. Where available, follow regional guidance 

to determine potential prey species and associated habitat requirements at the project level.

3. Grazing utilization in annual grasslands will maintain a minimum of 60 percent cover. Where grasslands are 

in satisfactory condition and annual precipitation is greater than 10 inches, manage for 700 pounds residual dry 

matter (RDM) per acre. Where grasslands are in satisfactory condition and annual precipitation is less than 10 

inches, manage for 400 pounds RDM per acre. Where grasslands are in unsatisfactory condition and annual 

precipitation is greater than 10 inches, manage for 1,000 pounds RDM per acre; manage for 700 pounds RDM 

per acre where grasslands are in unsatisfactory condition and precipitation is less than 10 inches. Adjust these 

standards, as needed, based on grassland condition.

4. Limit browsing to no more than 20 percent of the annual leader growth of mature riparian shrubs (including 

willow and aspen) and no more than 20 percent of individual seedlings. Remove livestock from any area of an 

allotment when browsing indicates a change in livestock preference from grazing herbaceous vegetation to 

browsing woody riparian vegetation. 

5. To protect hardwood regeneration in grazing allotments, allow livestock browse on no more than 20 

percent of annual growth of hardwood seedlings and advanced regeneration. Alter grazing plans if hardwood 

regeneration and recruitment needs are not being met.

6. Where professional judgment and quantifiable measurements find that current practices are maintaining 

range in good to excellent condition, the grazing utilization standards above may be modified to allow for the 

Forest Service, in partnership with individual permittees, to rigorously test and evaluate alternative standards.

7. Evaluate proposals for new concentrated stock areas (for example, livestock handling and management 

facilities, pack stations, equestrian stations, and corrals) located within 5 miles of occupied willow flycatcher 

sites.

8. Cattle will be distributed in a manner consistent with moderate forage utilization within meadows. Use any 

acceptable method as described in the most current version of the Rangeland Analysis and Planning Guide to 

monitor the results.

9. Grazing will cease in time to permit re-growth sufficient to store carbohydrates for initial spring growth (as 

specified in individual allotment plans).

10. Meadows will be grazed to allowable use standards as determined by use of any applicable method 

described in the most current version of the Region 5 Rangeland Analysis and Planning Guide.

6. Also see standards and guidelines in the watershed resources and wildlife, willow flycatcher section that pertain to range management.
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Hydrological Resources

Monument-wide

Riparian and Wetland

1. Manage riparian areas under the principles of multiple use and sustained yields, while emphasizing 

protection and improvement of soil, water, vegetation, and fish and wildlife resources. Give preferential 

consideration to riparian-dependent resources when conflicts among land use activities occur.

2. Give special attention to land and vegetation for approximately 100 feet from the edges of all perennial 

streams, lakes, and other bodies of water. This distance shall correspond to at least the recognizable area 

dominated by the riparian vegetation.

3. Provide protection where resource management activities are likely to seriously and adversely affect water 

conditions or fish habitat.

4. Facilitate the determination of sound vegetation manipulation practices based on watershed conditions and 

land capability, rather than decisions based solely on silvicultural characteristics and the public demand for 

goods.

5. Delineate and evaluate riparian areas prior to implementing any project activity.

6. Avoid long- and short-term adverse effects associated with modification of floodplains and wetlands. 

Minimize, to the extent practicable, destruction, loss, or degradation of wetlands (E.O. 11988 Floodplain 

Management and E.O. 11990 Protection of Wetlands) (BMP 1.18).

Cumulative Watershed Effects Analysis

7. Utilize the Sequoia National Forest’s cumulative watershed effects (CWE) methodology for application within 

the forest to assess each project for potential to incur cumulative effects.

The Forest shall determine the proper size of the watershed unit to be subject to CWE analysis based on the 

identified beneficial use(s). The unit size will generally range from 250 to 2,000 acres.

8. Identification and Evaluation of Processes Within the Watershed (CWE Analysis). The Sequoia National 

Forest staff will determine the controlling processes of concern (as required by FSM 2509.22, 7/88, Amendment 

1) in order to assess disturbance coefficients and mitigation opportunities.

Streamside Management Zones

9. Streamside Management Zones will be established and maintained for all stream courses and wetlands 

affected by management activities. Project plans will be designed to include site-specific prescriptions for the 

prevention of sedimentation, stream damage, and the protection of riparian dependent species (Clean Water 

Act, P.L. 92-500, Section 208).

Stream Class SMZ Width by % Slope Stream 

Order <30% >30% >40% >50% >70%

Meadows, Seeps, 

Springs, Bogs

100 150 200 250 1.5 times distance to slope break -

I 100 150 200 250 1.5 times distance to slope break 4+

II 100 100 150 200 3-4

III 50 100 100 150 2-3

IV <50 <50 75 100 1-2

IV <50 <50 <50 <50 1-0
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10. The following table displays the appropriate management requirements and constraints with respect to 

stream type and class. Manage for specific components of the Pfankuch channel and stream stability indices 

that might be affected by management activities. Evaluate special conditions at the project level:

11. Conduct monitoring of individual management practices to determine how well objectives have been met 

and how closely management standards and guidelines have been applied (NFMA, NEPA, FSM 1922.7, 36 

CFR 219.12k).

Interception of Sediment and Ground Cover Requirements

12. Correct existing and prevent potential water quality problems through the implementation of best 

management practices (BMPs) as contained in Water Quality Management for the National Forest System 

Lands in California: a State of California Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB)/USDA Forest Service 

Cooperative Agreement (Clean Water Act, P.L. 92-500, Section 208). This agreement contains the following 

provisions from NFMA P.L. 94.588:

● Protection of stream courses from detrimental changes in temperature (BMP 1.8).

● Protection of stream courses from blockage (BMP 1.19).

● Protection of stream courses from detrimental deposits of sediment (BMP 1.19).

Riparian Conservation Areas (RCAs) and Critical Aquatic Refuges (CARs)

13. Designate riparian conservation area (RCA) widths as described in the 2004 SNFPA ROD, Appendix A, Part 

B, pages 42 and 62:

Perennial Streams: 300 feet on each side of the stream, measured from the bank full edge of the stream.

Seasonally Flowing Streams (includes intermittent and ephemeral streams): 150 feet on each side of 

the stream, measured from the bank full edge of the stream.

Streams in Inner Gorge: top of inner gorge.

Special Aquatic Features (lakes, wet meadows, bogs, fens, wetlands, vernal pools, and springs) or 

Perennial Streams with Riparian Coditions extending more than 150 feet from edge of streambank
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or Seasonally Flowing streams with riparian conditions extending more than 50 feet from edge of 

streambank: 300 feet from edge of feature or riparian vegetation, whichever width is greater. 

Other hydrological or topographic depressions without a defined channel: RCA width and protection 

measures determined through project level analysis.

RCA widths may be adjusted at the project level if a landscape analysis has been completed and a site-specific 

riparian conservation objective (RCO) analysis demonstrates a need for different widths.

14. Evaluate new proposed management activities within the critical aquatic refuges (CARs) and RCAs during 

environmental analysis to determine consistency with the riparian conservation objectives at the project level 

and the aquatic management strategy goals for the landscape. Ensure that appropriate mitigation measures are 

enacted to (1) minimize the risk of activity-related sediment entering aquatic systems, and (2) minimize effects 

to habitat for aquatic- or riparian-dependent plant and animal species.

15. Identify existing uses and activities in the CARs and RCAs during landscape analysis. At the time of permit 

re-issuance, evaluate and consider actions needed for consistency with RCOs.

16. As part of project-level analysis, conduct peer reviews for projects that propose ground-disturbing activities 

in more than 25 percent of the RCAs or more than 15 percent of the CARs.

Riparian Conservation Objective 1: Ensure that identified beneficial uses for the water body are adequately 

protected. Identify the specific beneficial uses for the project area, water quality goals from the Regional Basin 

Plan, and the manner in which the standards and guidelines will protect the beneficial uses.

17. For waters designated as “water quality limited” (Clean Water Act Section 303(d)), implement appropriate 

state mandates for the waterbodies,such as total maximum daily load (TMDL) protocols.

18. Ensure that management activities do not adversely affect water temperatures necessary for local aquaticand riparian-dependent species assemblages.

Maintain temperature at no more than a daily average of 20o C on streams affected by management activities. 

Evaluate stream courses with special circumstances, such as those affected by hot springs or other geologic 

and geochemical features, on a site-by-site basis at the project level.

Maintain average stream surface shade at >60 percent on streams affected by management activities. Assess 

meadow environments and streams with limited overhead vegetation on a site-by-site basis at the project level.

Ensure that management activities do not adversely affect pH values necessary for local aquatic and ripariandependent species as defined by the Central Valley Water Quality Board Basin Plan. Maintain pH values 

between 6.5 and 8.5 on streams affected by management activities. Evaluate water bodies that exhibit special 

conditions at the project level, including waters affected by hot springs in the presence of CO2 springs or other 

geologic and geochemical features (such areas would be expected to yield pH values outside the range of state 

standards).

Ensure that management activities do not adversely affect alkalinity values, which can affect pH values, 

necessary for local aquatic- and riparian-dependent species as defined by the Central Valley Water Quality 

Board Basin Plan. Maintain alkalinity values of no less than 10 mg/L. Site-specific differences could occur based 

on local geology and water chemistry. Evaluate values outside this range at the project level.

19. Limit pesticide applications to cases where project-level analysis indicates that pesticide applications are 

consistent with RCOs. Use local channel geometry curves to determine the location of flood prone areas. Do 

not apply pesticides, including gopher baiting, within the floodprone area of perennial or intermittent stream 

courses. If a project’s objectives include treatment of riparian areas, evaluate conditions on a site-by-site basis 

at the project level.

20. Within 500 feet of known occupied sites for the California red-legged frog, foothill yellow-legged frog, or 

mountain yellow-legged frog, design pesticide applications to avoid adverse effects to individuals and their 

habitats.
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21. Prohibit storage of fuels and other toxic materials within RCAs and CARs except at designated 

administrative sites and sites covered by a special use authorization. Prohibit refueling within RCAs and CARs 

unless there is no other alternative. Ensure that spill plans are reviewed and up-to-date.

Riparian Conservation Objective 2: Maintain or restore: (1) The geomorphic and biological characteristics of 

special aquatic features, including lakes, meadows, bogs, fens, wetlands, vernal pools, springs; (2) streams, 

including in stream flows; and (3) hydrologic connectivity both within and between watersheds to provide for the 

habitat needs of aquatic-dependent species. 

22. Maintain and restore the hydrologic connectivity of streams, meadows, wetlands, and other special aquatic 

features by identifying roads and trails that intercept, divert, or disrupt natural surface and subsurface water flow 

paths. Implement corrective actions, where necessary, to restore connectivity.

Maintain and restore the hydrologic connectivity of meadows by identifying those at risk. Implement corrective 

actions, where necessary, to restore connectivity of meadows to their floodplain.

A stream condition inventory (SCI) may be used instead of proper functioning condition (PFC) to validate an 

existing PFC determination or existing meadow condition.

Perform a full hydrologic survey prior to restoration. Include a longitudinal profile and adequate cross-section 

surveys to determine design parameters. At a minimum, determine meadow pattern, profile, and dimensions for 

the impaired site and the design.

Design projects by a qualified specialist prior to implementation. A qualified specialist is one that has received 

training in river restoration and natural channel design. Have the design reviewed by a forest hydrologist prior to 

implementation.

Make sure all restoration is sustainable. Designs that require continued maintenance are not considered 

sustainable.

23. Ensure that culverts or other stream crossings do not create barriers to upstream or downstream passage 

for aquatic-dependent species. Locate water drafting sites to avoid adverse effects on stream flows and 

depletion of pool habitat. Where possible, maintain and restore the timing, variability, and duration of floodplain 

inundation and water table elevation in meadows, wetlands, and other special aquatic features.

24. Prior to activities that could adversely affect streams, determine if relevant stream characteristics are within 

the range of natural variability. If characteristics are outside the range of natural variability, implement mitigation 

measures and short-term restoration actions needed to prevent further declines or cause an upward trend in 

conditions. Evaluate required long-term restoration actions and implement them according to their status among 

other restoration needs.

Maintain width to depth ratios for A and E channels of values less than 14 on streams affected by management 

activities. Maintain width to depth ratios for B, C, and F channels of values greater than 10 on stream channels 

affected by management activities. Encourage G and F channels to trend towards width to depth ratios greater 

than 12.

Evaluate streams affected by management activities to detect shifts in mean particle size toward fine material in 

stable channel types (A, B, C, or E) to the extent that a change in channel type occurs. Mean particle size would 

be expected to change in impaired systems or following restoration activities. Evaluate stream courses with 

special circumstances on a site-by-site basis at the project level.

Manage for specific components of the Pfankuch channel and stream stability indices that might be affected by 

management activities. Evaluate special conditions at the project level:
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For stable streams (A, B, C, or E), maintain or improve the channel, as necessary, based on the Pfankuch 

channel and stream stability indices. Take action to maintain or improve stream sites based on successional 

stage shifts away from stable conditions. For impaired stream reaches (G, F, or D), successional stage shifts 

from the impaired stream reach would show a trend toward an unimpaired condition.

25. Prevent disturbance to streambanks and natural lake and pond shorelines caused by management activities 

and resource use (such as livestock and dispersed recreation) from exceeding 20 percent of a stream reach or 

20 percent of natural lake and pond shorelines. Disturbance includes bank sloughing, chiseling, trampling, and 

other means of exposing bare soil or cutting plant roots. This standard does not apply to developed recreation 

sites, sites authorized under special use permits, or roads.

26. In stream reaches occupied by, or identified as “essential habitat” in the conservation assessment for the 

Little Kern golden trout, limit streambank disturbance from livestock to 10 percent of the occupied or “essential 

habitat” stream reach (conservation assessments are described in the 2004 SNFPA ROD, page 10; see http://

www.tucalifornia.org/cgtic/GTCAssessmnt&Strategy9-04.pdf). Cooperate with state and federal agencies to 

develop streambank disturbance standards for threatened, endangered, and sensitive species. Use the regional 

streambank assessment protocol. Implement corrective action where disturbance limits have been exceeded.

Maintain width to depth ratios for A and E channels of values less than 14 on streams affected by management 

activities. Maintain width to depth ratios for B, C, and F channels of values greater than 10 on streams affected 

by management activities. Encourage G channels to trend towards width to depth ratios greater than 12.

27. At either the landscape or project level, determine if the age class, structural diversity, composition, and 

cover of riparian vegetation are within the range of natural variability for the vegetative community. If conditions 

are outside the range of natural variability, consider implementing mitigation and/or restoration actions that will 

result in an upward trend. Actions could include restoration of aspen or other riparian vegetation where conifer 

encroachment is identified as a problem.

28. Cooperate with federal, tribal, state, and local governments to secure in-stream flows needed to maintain, 

recover, and restore riparian resources, channel conditions, and aquatic habitat. Maintain in-stream flows to 

protect aquatic systems to which species are uniquely adapted. Minimize the effects of stream diversions or 

other flow modifications from hydroelectric projects on threatened, endangered, and sensitive species.
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29. For exempt hydroelectric facilities on national forest lands, ensure that special use permit language provides 

adequate in-stream flow requirements to maintain, restore, or recover favorable ecological conditions for local 

riparian- and aquatic-dependent species.

Riparian Conservation Objective 3: Ensure a renewable supply of large down logs that: (1) can reach the 

stream channel and (2) provide suitable habitat within and adjacent to the RCA.

30. Determine if the level of coarse large woody debris is within the range of natural variability in terms of 

frequency and distribution and is sufficient to sustain stream channel physical complexity and stability. Ensure 

that proposed management activities move conditions toward the range of natural variability for coarse large 

woody debris.

Maintain woody material in and adjacent to stream courses. Where fire is responsible for removal of woody 

material, replace at levels associated with pre-fire conditions if possible. Evaluate the amount of wood 

necessary for maintenance of stream stability, sediment reduction, and aquatic species habitat.

Riparian Conservation Objective 4: Ensure that management activities, including fuels reduction actions, 

within RCAs and CARs enhance or maintain physical and biological characteristics associated with aquatic- and 

riparian-dependent species.

31. Within CARs, in occupied habitat or “essential habitat” as identified in conservation assessments for 

threatened, endangered, or sensitive species, evaluate the appropriate role, timing, and extent of prescribed 

fire. Avoid direct lighting within riparian vegetation; prescribed fires may back into riparian vegetation areas. 

Develop mitigation measures to avoid effects to these species whenever ground-disturbing equipment is used.

32. Use screening devices for water drafting pumps (fire suppression activities are exempt during initial attack). 

Use pumps with low entry velocity to minimize removal of aquatic species, including juvenile fish, amphibian 

egg masses, and tadpoles.

33. Design prescribed fire treatments to minimize disturbance of ground cover and riparian vegetation in 

RCAs. In burn plans for project areas that include or are adjacent to RCAs, identify mitigation measures to 

minimize the spread of fire into riparian vegetation. In determining mitigation measures, weigh the potential 

harm of mitigation measures (e.g., firelines) against the risks and benefits of prescribed fire entering riparian 

vegetation. Strategies should recognize the role of fire in ecosystem function and identify those instances when 

fire suppression or fuel management actions could be damaging to habitat or the long-term function of a riparian 

community.

34. Post-wildfire management activities in RCAs and CARs should emphasize enhancing native vegetation 

cover, stabilizing channels by non-structural means, minimizing adverse effects from the existing road network, 

and carrying out activities identified in landscape analyses. Post-wildfire operations shall minimize the exposure 

of bare soil.

35. Allow hazard tree removal within RCAs or CARs if it is clearly needed for public safety. Allow mechanical 

ground-disturbing fuels treatments or fuelwood cutting within RCAs or CARs when the activity is consistent with 

RCOs and is clearly needed for ecological restoration and maintenance or public safety. Utilize low-groundpressure equipment, helicopters, or other non-ground-disturbing actions off of existing roads when needed to 

achieve RCOs. Ensure that existing roads meet best management practices (BMPs). Minimize the construction 

of new roads into RCAs for access for fuel treatments, fuelwood cutting, or hazard tree removal.

36. As appropriate, assess and document aquatic conditions following the regional stream condition inventory 

protocol prior to implementing ground-disturbing activities within suitable habitat for California red-legged frogs, 

foothill yellow-legged frogs, and mountain yellow-legged frogs.

Maintain average stream surface shade at or above 60 percent on streams affected by management activities. 

Assess meadow environments and other streams with limited overhead vegetation for site-specific projects.

Maintain width to depth ratios for A and E channels of values less than 14 on streams affected by management 

activities. Maintain width to depth ratios for B, C, and F channels of values greater than 10 on streams affected 

by management activities. Encourage G channels to trend towards width to depth ratios greater than 12.
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Evaluate streams affected by management activities to detect shifts in mean particle size toward fine material in 

stable channel types (A, B, C, or E) to the extent that a change in channel type occurs. Mean particle size would 

be expected to change in impaired systems or following restoration activities. Evaluate stream courses with 

special circumstances on a site-by-site basis at the project level.

Maintain 85 percent of any waterbodies affected by management activities at no less than very good water 

quality based on the Hilsenhoff biotic index or similar indices. Evaluate waterbodies outside of this range for 

site-specific effects. Indices would be less than 4.50 on Hilsenhoff biotic index or indicate very good water 

quality with similar indices. A biotic index or other index of this value should indicate no apparent to possible 

slight organic pollution. Evaluate waterbodies outside of this range for site-specific projects.

Manage for specific components of the Pfankuch channel and stream stability indices that might be affected by 

management activities. Evaluate special conditions at the project level (see previous table).

37. During fire suppression activities, consider effects to aquatic- and riparian-dependent resources. Where 

possible, locate incident bases, camps, helibases, staging areas, helispots, and other centers for incident 

activities outside of RCAs or CARs. During pre-suppression planning, include guidelines for suppression 

activities that avoid potential adverse effects to aquatic- and riparian-dependent species.

38. Identify roads, trails, staging areas, developed recreation sites, dispersed campgrounds, areas under 

special use permits or grazing permits, and day use sites during landscape analysis. Identify conditions that 

degrade water quality or habitat for aquatic- and riparian-dependent species. At the project level, evaluate and 

consider actions to ensure consistency with standards and guidelines.

Riparian Conservation Objective 5: Preserve, restore, or enhance special aquatic features, such as 

meadows, lakes, ponds, bogs, fens, and wetlands to provide the ecological conditions and processes needed to 

recover or enhance the viability of species that rely on these areas.

39. Assess the hydrologic function of meadow habitats and other special aquatic features during site-specific 

range management analysis. Ensure that characteristics of special features are, at a minimum, at proper 

functioning condition (PFC), as defined in the following technical reports (or their successor publications): 

(1) Process for Assessing PFC, TR 1737-9 (1993); (2) PFC for Lotic Areas, USDI TR 1737-15 (1998); (3) PFC 

for Lentic Riparian-Wetland Areas, USDI TR 1737-11 (1994); and (4) Assessing Proper Functioning Condition 

for Fen Areas in the Sierra Nevada and Southern Cascade Ranges in California: A User Guide, USDA Forest 

Service, R5-TP-028 (April 2009).

Assess the hydrologic function of at-risk meadow habitats. Ensure that characteristics are, at a minimum, at 

PFC as defined in the Process for Assessing PFC, TR 1737-9 (1993); PFC for Lotic Areas, USDI TR 1737-15 

(1998); or PFC for Lentic Riparian-Wetland Areas, USDI TR 1737-16 (Rev. 2003).

40. Prohibit or mitigate ground-disturbing activities that adversely affect hydrologic processes that maintain 

water flow, water quality, or water temperature critical to sustaining bog and fen ecosystems and plant species 

that depend on these ecosystems. During project analysis, survey, map, and develop measures to protect bogs 

and fens from such activities as trampling by livestock, pack stock, humans, and wheeled vehicles. Criteria 

for defining bogs and fens include, but are not limited to, the presence of sphagnum moss (Sphagnum spp.), 

mosses belonging to the genus Meessia, or sundew (Drosera spp.). Complete initial plant inventories of bogs 

and fens within active grazing allotments prior to re-issuing permits.

Maintain temperature at a daily average of no more than 20o C on streams affected by management activities. 

Evaluate stream courses with special circumstances or conditions, such as those affected by hot springs, for 

site-specific projects.

41. Locate new facilities for gathering livestock and pack stock outside of meadows and RCAs. During projectlevel planning, evaluate and consider relocating existing livestock facilities outside of meadows and riparian 

areas. Prior to re-issuing grazing permits, assess the compatibility of livestock management facilities located in 

RCAs with RCOs.

42. Determine ecological status on all key areas monitored for grazing utilization prior to establishing utilization 

levels. Use regional ecological score cards and range plant list in regional range handbooks to determine
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ecological status. Analyze meadow ecological status every 3 to 5 years. If meadow ecological status is 

determined to be moving in a downward trend, modify or suspend grazing. Include ecological status data in a 

spatially explicit geographic information system (GIS) database.

43. Under intensive grazing systems (such as rest-rotation and deferred rotation) where meadows are receiving 

a period of rest, utilization levels can be higher than the levels described above if the meadow is maintained in 

late seral status and meadow-associated species are not being affected. Degraded meadows (such as those in 

early seral status with greater than 10 percent of the meadow area in bare soil and active erosion) require total 

rest from grazing until they have recovered and have moved to mid- or late seral status.

44. Limit browsing to no more than 20 percent of the annual leader growth of mature riparian shrubs and no 

more than 20 percent of individual seedlings. Remove livestock from any area of an allotment when browsing 

indicates a change in livestock preference from herbaceous vegetation to woody riparian vegetation.

Riparian Conservation Objective 6: Identify and implement restoration actions to maintain, restore, or 

enhance water quality and maintain, restore, or enhance habitat for riparian and aquatic species.

45. Recommend restoration practices in: (1) areas with compaction higher than that allowed in soil quality 

standards, (2) areas with lowered water tables, or (3) areas with either active downcutting or historic gullies. 

Identify other management activities (e.g., road building, recreational use, grazing, and fuels reduction) that 

may be contributing to the observed degradation.

Use water-dependent vegetation as a surrogate to evaluate riparian soil moisture condition.

Maintain width to depth ratios for A and E channels of values less than 14 on streams affected by management 

activities. Maintain width to depth ratios for B, C, and F channels of values greater than 10 on streams affected 

by management activities. Encourage G channels to trend towards width to depths greater than 12.

For stable streams (A, B, C, or E), maintain or improve the channel as necessary based on stability indices. 

Take action to maintain or improve stream sites based on successional stage shifts away from stable conditions. 

For impaired stream reaches (G, F, or D), successional stage shifts from the impaired stream reach would show 

a trend toward an unimpaired condition.

Groundwater

Monument-wide

1. Establish a minimum distance from a connected river, stream, wetland, or other groundwater-dependent 

ecosystem from which a well may be sited.

2. Establish minimum limits to which water levels can be drawn down at a specified distance from a 

groundwater-dependent ecosystem.

3. Conduct appropriate analyses when evaluating proposals and applications for water wells or other activities 

that propose to test, study, monitor, modify, remediate, withdraw, or inject ground water on NFS lands (see 

Technical Guide to Managing Ground Water Resources, FS-881, May 2007).

Geological Resources

Monument-wide

1. Protect cave entrances from all activities, including prescribed fire, mechanical treatments, and recreation.

2. Evaluate proposed septic systems to determine their potential to contaminate groundwater that moves 

through cave systems.

Soil Resources

Monument-wide

1. During management activities maintain an average of 50 percent effective soil cover in treatment areas that 

is well distributed and generally in the form of fine organic matter. Effective soil cover is that whose thickness 

and continuity provides adequate protection to prevent rill network formation. Fine organic matter includes plant 

litter, duff, and woody material less than 3 inches in diameter. 
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Management activities in areas with ecological types that cannot normally support 50 percent soil cover will 

need to be considered individually for soil cover needs. In special areas such as fuelbreaks and defense zones, 

immediate post-treatment soil cover levels less than 50 percent will be allowed as long as the site conditions 

and actual cover level will prevent erosion. Field review and monitoring should be used to determine the 

minimal level of soil cover necessary in special areas.

2. Maintain 100 percent soil cover in a 100-foot-wide buffer below rock outcrops that have the potential to 

generate runoff into management activity areas and cause erosion.

3. In areas where sustained slopes exceed 35 percent, limit mechanical operations such as skidding, 

tractor piling, grapple piling, and mastication, except where supported by on-the-ground evaluation by an 

interdisciplinary team that includes a watershed specialist.

4. Limit total soil compaction (displacement and total soil porosity reduction) to less than 15 percent of the 

management activity area. No more than 10 percent of the activity area can be displaced. Temporary roads, 

temporary landings, and skid trails will be considered part of the activity area to evaluate. Areas excluded from 

this standard include National Forest System roads, trails, and facilities, and other dedicated sites. 

Soil will be considered displaced if more than one-half of the thickness of the topsoil or A horizon has been 

removed from a contiguous area larger than 100 sq. ft. Soil will be considered compacted if there is less than 90 

percent total soil porosity in a contiguous area greater than 100 sq. ft compared to undisturbed soils nearby.

Conduct operations when soil porosity, especially macroporosity, will be maintained at a level sufficient for soil 

hydrologic function and long-term soil productivity for plant growth. Use the latest findings of studies such as 

that for Long Term Soil Productivity by Powers to evaluate the effects to soil productivity from porosity changes.

5. Maintain aquic soil moisture conditions (defined in Soil Taxonomy) in wet meadows and fens. Areas with 

aquic soil moisture conditions include wet meadows and fens where soil moisture levels remain high throughout 

most of the year.

Maintain soil structure and porosity. Use the presence and density of water-dependent vegetation as indicators 

of soil moisture condition.

6. Maintain downed logs for soil organisms, based upon the ecological type and in consultation with wildlife and 

fuels.

7. For projects involving the application of chemicals, such as herbicides, pesticides, or other amendments, 

evaluate the effects to soil micro-organisms, post-project erosion risk, leaching potential, and risk of off-site 

movement of the chemicals. Provide recommendations to prevent adverse effects.

Human Uses(7)

Recreation

Monument-wide

1. Cross-country travel (non-motorized [e.g., horses, hikers—non-mechanized]) may be restricted to prevent 

resource damage.

2. Manage dispersed recreation activities by location and period of use based on wildlife needs (e.g., excluding 

incompatible use from key areas during fawning and nesting).

Energy

Monument-wide

1. Encourage energy development, when sources are available, as long as the development is consistent with 

other standards and guidelines.

Scenery

Monument-wide

1. Design management activities to meet and exceed when practical the specified Scenic Integrity Objective 

(SIO).

7. Including Recreation, Scenery, and Socioeconomics.
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2. Meet scenic integrity objectives with the following exceptions: (1) accept occasional short-term departure 

from adopted minimum scenic integrity that will lead to long-term desired scenic character if disclosed in a sitespecific NEPA decision, and (2) temporary drops of one minimum scenic integrity level may be made during and 

immediately following project implementation providing they do not exceed 3 years in duration.

3. Include mitigation measures for activities that alter the landscape beyond the adopted minimum scenic 

stability.

Cultural Resources

Monument-wide

1. Fully integrate opportunities for preservation, protection, and utilization of cultural resources into land use 

planning and decisions through:

(1) Assessing potential effects on heritage resources on a project-specific basis.

(2) Avoiding or mitigating effects on sites eligible for the National Register or other significant sites.

(3) Follow-up monitoring to assess the effectiveness of management procedures.

(4) Post and sign (e.g., tractors prohibited, Antiquities Act) selected cultural resource sites where such signing 

will not endanger the sites.

(5) Monitor number of sites for protection visits on revolving basis, and prioritize according to resource 

significance and vulnerability as developed in the forest overview.

(6) Develop and provide interpretive brochures for selected sites.

2. Conduct inventories as necessary, occasionally doing non-project-specific surveys. Complete archaeological 

reconnaissance reports and site records to allow evaluation of site significance. Release those site locations 

declared not significant for other management activities. Approach systematically the reduction of the existing 

forest backlog of sites to be evaluated. Those types of sites deemed more potentially critical in the forest 

overview will receive priority.

3. Conduct on-the-ground interpretation at a number of sites that exist at or near developed sites, where high 

level of use or exposure is possible (i.e., properties adjacent to campgrounds, historic logging activities in the 

vicinity of campgrounds).

4. Regularly consult with Native Americans as interested parties on proposed undertakings.

Transportation System

Monument-wide except Wilderness

1. To protect watershed resources, meet the following standards for road construction, road reconstruction, and 

road relocation: (1) design new stream crossings and replacement stream crossings for at least the 100-year 

flood, including bedload and debris; (2) design stream crossings to minimize the diversion of streamflow out 

of the channel and down the road in the event of a crossing failure; (3) design stream crossings to minimize 

disruption of natural hydrologic flow paths, including minimizing diversion of streamflow and interception of 

surface and subsurface water; (4) avoid wetlands or minimize effects to natural flow patterns in wetlands; and 

(5) avoid road construction in meadows.

2. Maintain developed trailhead access roads and primary access routes to developed facilities at a minimum of 

maintenance level 3.

3. Use seasonal closure as a tool to protect key wildlife values, environmental resources, and road investment.

4. Limit motorized vehicles to designated roads.

5. Limit non-motorized mechanized vehicles (such as bicycles) to designated roads and trails.

6. Limit over-snow vehicles to designated roads.

Wilderness

7. Construct and maintain trail bridges consistent with wilderness uses.
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8. The South Fork Zone is actually within the Kings South Fork Wild and Scenic River corridor, but lies within the boundaries of KRSMA.

Standard/Guideline

Special Areas, including Special Interest Areas

Kings River Special Management Area (KRSMA)

1. Archaeological sites: Sites are maintained in a condition that will permit an evaluation of significance and, 

if appropriate, listing in the National Register of Historic Places. Significant sites are protected to permit future 

data recovery (KRSMA MP p. 53).

2. Suitable fish habitat: R-5 minimum management requirements, FLMP guidelines, riparian standards and 

guidelines, and best management practices are being applied in a way that supports the objectives established 

in the SMA and WSR EIS and Plan; and project-specific NEPA documents (KRSMA MP p. 53).

3. Management of SMA and WSR: Periodic reviews to evaluate the effectiveness of management directions and 

monitoring plan indicate that the documents reflect the current environmental social and administrative needs in 

the area (KRSMA MP p. 53).

4. Transportation system: The transportation system’s effectiveness meets the opportunity class and zone 

objectives. Project-specific NEPA documents and the forest trails plan reflect the objective in the SMA and WSR 

EIS and Plan (KRSMA MP p. 54).

5. Water quality: Implementation of BMPs and project design do not permit a decrease in water quality (KRSMA 

MP p. 54).

6. TES species: Project plans and prescriptions are implemented as designed, consistent with the biological 

evaluations (KRSMA MP p. 54).

Standards for South Fork Zone (Kings South Fork Wild and Scenic River)(8)

7. Public use areas consistency with opportunity class III: Dispersed recreation effects are temporary, and are 

commonly only fire rings in the turnouts along Highway 180. Effects from recreation activities may be evident to 

the visitor. Use areas are generally >50 feet apart and are fewer than two per 320 acres (KRSMA MP p. 57).

8. Management of Highway 180, Boyden Cavern, and Grizzly Falls: Adequate parking is provided, sanitation 

facilities meet current needs, and all facilities complement the area’s natural scenic resources (KRSMA MP 

p. 57).

9. Zone aside from Highway 180, Boyden Cavern, and Grizzly Falls: A low probability of meeting other parties or 

forest users during low-use periods (<50 percent chance), a possible encounter with other recreationists during 

the spring (25 to 50 percent chance) (KRSMA MP p. 57).

10. Management focus on river-based and unique opportunities: all resource conditions, social conditions, and 

management activities reflect the characteristics described for opportunity class II and the objectives for this 

zone (KRSMA MP p. 57).

Standards for Verplank Zone

11. Campsite consistency with opportunity class II: Campsites are small and temporary. Some facilities are 

provided. Effects from recreation activities may be evident to the visitor. Campsites are greater than 50 feet 

apart and are fewer than five per 320 acres (KRSMA MP p. 58).

12. Few encounters between travelers: A low probability of meeting other parties or forest users during low-use 

periods (less than 50 percent chance), a possible encounter with other recreationists during the spring (25 to 50 

percent chance) (KRSMA MP p. 58).

13. Scope of OHV, grazing, and vegetation management: Use of forest resources and OHV use of designated 

routes is consistent with the long-term protection of the area’s natural, archaeological, and scenic resources 

(KRSMA MP p. 58).

14. Management focus to balance recreation with maintaining natural environment: All resource conditions, 

social conditions, and management activities reflect the characteristics described for opportunity class II and the 

objectives for this zone (KRSMA MP p. 58).
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Standard/Guideline

Standards for Converse Zone

15. Campsite consistency with opportunity class I: Campsites are small and temporary. No facilities are 

provided. Effects are not evident to the visitor. Campsites are greater than 100 feet apart and are fewer than two 

per 320 acres (KRSMA MP p. 59).

16. Human developments: No large developments are permitted, and small developments are temporary or 

subordinate to the environmental setting (KRSMA MP p. 59).

17. Few encounters between travelers: Extremely low probability of meeting other parties or forest users during 

low-use periods (less than 25 percent chance), a possible encounter with other recreationists on the National 

Recreation Trail and the Yucca Point Trail (25 to 50 percent chance) (KRSMA MP p. 59).

18. Management emphasizes maintaining natural environment: All resource conditions, social conditions and 

management activities reflect the characteristics described for opportunity class I and the objectives for this 

zone (KRSMA MP p. 59).

Standards for Boole Zone

19. Campsite consistency with opportunity class II: Campsites are small and temporary. Some facilities may 

be provided. Effects from recreation activities may be evident to the visitor. Campsites are greater than 50 feet 

apart and are fewer than five per 320 acres (KRSMA MP p. 60).

20. Few encounters between travelers: A low probability of meeting other parties or forest users during low-use 

periods (less than 50 percent chance), a possible encounter with other recreationists along the Boole Tree Trail 

(25 to 50 percent chance) (KRSMA MP p. 60).

21. Scope of OHV, grazing, and vegetation management: Use of forest resources and OHV use of designated 

routes is consistent with the long-term protection of the area’s natural, archaeological, and scenic resources 

(KRSMA MP p. 60).

Standards for Kings River Corridor Zone (Portion Within the Monument)

22. Dead and down material: Ten tons per acre of dead and down material should be available for wildlife and 

recreational campfire building (KRSMA MP p. 61).

23. Human developments: Not more than five developments per a 320-acre area. Developments include 

structures and facilities for recreation and non-recreation activities (KRSMA MP p. 61).

24. Vandalism effects to visuals: No more than three new occurrences of graffiti vandalism or defacing of natural 

features located anywhere within the zone per year (KRSMA MP p. 61).

25. Dispersed campsites: No more than five sites within a quarter-mile length of the river corridor. Dispersed 

site locations should not affect the experience of other campers (KRSMA MP p. 61).

26. Group camping (encourage use outside SMA/WSR corridor): No more than five declined requests for group 

camping. The existing accommodations for group camping should meet user needs (KRSMA MP p. 62).

27. Few encounters between travelers: Fifty percent probability of no more than five encounters with other 

parties (KRSMA MP p. 62).

28. Conflicts between users: No more than five reported or otherwise documented conflicts between different 

types of users (e.g. anglers and rafters) (KRSMA MP p. 62).

29. Public safety: No more than four accidents per year within the zone, with attention to rafting incidents. 

Accidents are incidents where there is either an incident report filed by a forest officer or a forest visitor requires 

medical attention (KRSMA MP p. 62).

30. Public parking that protects resource and provides public safety: Public parking space should be provided 

at a level that protects the resource and provides for public safety and comfort. Visitors should find adequate 

parking at trailheads, raft put-ins, and raft take-outs.

31. Congestion at launch site: Rafting groups do not wait longer than 60 minutes to launch (KRSMA MP p. 63).

32. Groups encountered on river per day: Maximum of 17 parties per day (KRSMA MP p. 63).
Part 3—Design Criteria

Giant Sequoia National Monument Management Plan

109

Monitoring and Evaluation

Monitoring and evaluation are integral parts of 

the adaptive management cycle that will provide a 

framework to guide future management decisions 

and actions. Monitoring and evaluation activities 

in the Monument are closely linked to the adaptive 

management strategy in the 2001 SNFPA. Adaptive 

management is the process of continually adjusting 

management in response to new information, 

knowledge, or technologies. The Monument Plan 

monitoring process responds to specific requirements 

of the 1976 National Forest Management Act that 

must be met on a forest-wide basis, and the need to 

monitor forest management on a forest-wide basis. 

This monitoring plan also responds to Advisory 

XVIII from the Scientific Advisory Board which 

recommends that the Forest Service “strive for an onsite research and monitoring presence” (The Scientific 

Advisory Board 2003, Advisory XVIII).

Adaptive management is the foundation for planning 

and management. Forest plans need to be dynamic to 

account for changing resource conditions, resulting 

from large-scale wildfires, climate change, or listing 

of additional species under the Endangered Species 

Act, and new information and science, such as results 

from scientific study and monitoring.

Monitoring requirements are found in all three parts 

of the Monument Monitoring Plan. Part 1 monitoring 

is focused on measuring movement toward desired 

conditions over the long term. Part 2 monitoring 

documents individual program accomplishments 

and is reported annually. Finally, Part 3 monitoring 

measures a randomly selected sample of projects and 

ongoing activities and evaluates how well project 

implementation follows Monument Plan direction. 

All three parts use an adaptive management approach 

designed to lead to continuous improvement in 

management of the Monument.

Types of Monitoring

The tables in this section include monitoring or 

inventory program areas or projects, monitoring 

questions, associated performance measures, and the 

frequency of reporting (annual or other time period). 

They also document the source, or who is expected to 

conduct the monitoring. Most of the monitoring will 

be conducted by the Sequoia National Forest (SQF), 

sometimes engaging the Pacific Southwest Region 

(RO), or another regional entity or program (such as 

the Pacific Southwest Research Station (PSW)), for 

consultation and assistance as needed and as resources 

are available.

The types of monitoring are:

● Implementation monitoring: Determines if 

the management strategy (strategies, objectives, 

and standards and guidelines) is implemented as 

designed and in compliance with the Monument 

Plan. Implementation monitoring answers the 

question: “Were the management activities to 

protect the objects of interest and their ecosystems 

accomplished as specified in the Monument Plan?”

● Effectiveness monitoring: Determines if the 

management strategy (strategies, objectives, and 

standards and guidelines) is effective in moving 

the Monument toward desired conditions. This 

type of monitoring provides a better understanding 

of how ecosystem components, structures, and 

processes have responded to the management 

strategy and answers the question: “Did the 

management strategy actually work to move 

Standard/Guideline

Research Natural Areas

33. Protect and manage South Mountaineer Creek, a potential research natural area, as if it was already 

established, pending its final establishment or release by the Chief of the Forest Service.

Botanical Areas

34. Manage the Freeman Creek Grove as a botanical area.

35. There shall be no logging and no motorized vehicle use by the public anywhere in the Freeman Creek 

Botanical Area.
Part 3—Design Criteria

Management Plan Giant Sequoia National Monument

110

Monument resources closer to their desired 

conditions?”

● Validation monitoring: Determines whether the 

initial data and assumptions used in development 

of the Monument Plan and its management 

strategy are correct, or if there is a better way to 

meet forest planning regulations, policies, goals, 

strategies, and objectives. Validation monitoring 

is generally done only when implementation or 

effectiveness monitoring results suggest that a 

given practice may not have been implemented 

properly or was not effective in achieving 

expected outcomes. Validation monitoring is 

usually conducted by researchers in scientific 

studies or analyses.

● Status and trend monitoring of ecosystem 

conditions and management activities:

Assesses important biological, physical, and 

sociocultural conditions, to gauge whether desired 

conditions are being achieved and provide early 

warning of unanticipated effects from management 

activities evaluated at a large scale. Baseline data 

are required before status and trend monitoring can 

occur. Baseline can be considered a component of 

implementation monitoring, while status and trend 

can be considered a component of effectiveness 

monitoring.

Part 1 Monitoring

Monitoring and evaluation provide knowledge and 

information to keep the Monument Plan viable. 

Appropriate selection of indicators, and monitoring 

and evaluation of key results, helps the Forest Service 

determine if the desired conditions identified in 

the Monument Plan are being met. Monitoring and 

evaluation also help the Forest Service determine 

if there should be changes to strategies, objectives, 

standards and guidelines, or monitoring methods.

Monitoring and evaluation processes begin 

by identifying key questions Forest Service 

managers need to answer about Monument Plan 

implementation. Understanding the questions help to 

identify information needs, data collection designs, 

and the tools needed to turn data into information 

and knowledge. Managers must also have a clear 

understanding of baseline conditions (current resource 

condition at the time of signing the ROD) versus 

desired conditions and the type of evaluation that 

will help determine if movement towards desired 

conditions is occurring.

Monitoring and evaluation will answer the following 

key questions:

● Has the Sequoia National Forest taken actions 

to protect the objects of interest and restore their 

ecosystems?

● Has on-the-ground management in the Monument 

maintained or made progress toward the desired 

conditions?

● How are baseline conditions changing in response 

to changing climate and climate-related processes 

(e.g., wildfire)?

● What changes are needed to account for 

unanticipated changes in conditions?

The Part 1 Monitoring Summary presented in the 

following table focuses on evaluating the broad 

aspects of plan implementation. Most importantly, 

this monitoring includes elements for protecting the 

objects of interest identified in the Proclamation, 

including:

● The naturally-occurring giant sequoia groves 

and their associated ecosystems, individual giant 

trees, rare and endemic plant species such as 

the Springville clarkia, and other species listed 

as threatened or endangered by the Endangered 

Species Act (ESA), or sensitive by the Forest 

Service.

● The ecosystems and outstanding landscapes that 

surround the giant sequoia groves.

● The diverse array of rare animal species, including 

the Pacific fisher, the great gray owl, the American 

marten, the northern goshawk, the peregrine 

falcon, the California spotted owl, the California 

condor, several rare amphibians, the western pond 

turtle, and other species listed as threatened or 

endangered by the ESA, or sensitive by the Forest 

Service.

● The paleontological resources in meadow 

sediments and other sources that have recorded 

ecological changes in such markers as fire 

regimes, volcanism, vegetation, and climate.

● The limestone caverns and other geologic features, 

including granite domes, spires, geothermally-
Part 3—Design Criteria

Giant Sequoia National Monument Management Plan

111

Table 47 Part 1 Monitoring Summary

Monitoring or 

Inventory Program 

or Project

Monitoring Question Performance 

Measures

Type of 

Monitoring

Frequency of 

Reporting and 

Source

Air Quality

Air quality 

conditions

What is the trend of 

air quality conditions 

associated with 

prescribed fire and 

wildfire?

Chemical 

constituents of 

atmospheric 

aerosols.

Status and Trend Ongoing

Committee for 

Interagency Monitoring 

for Protected Visual 

Environments 

(IMPROVE), SQF

Climate Change

Climate change 

trend assessments

What are the trends 

in temperature in 

the Monument and 

neighboring southern 

Sierra Nevada?

Mean, mean 

maximum, and 

mean minimum 

annual temperature 

based on Western 

Regional Climate 

Center database.

Status and Trend 1-2 years

Regional Ecology 

Program

What are the trends 

in precipitation in 

the Monument and 

neighboring southern 

Sierra Nevada?

Mean and variance 

annual precipitation 

based on Western 

Regional Climate 

Center database.

Status and Trend 1-2 years

Regional Ecology 

Program

What are the 

emerging trends 

in climate-driven 

processes (wildfire, 

hydrology, vegetation) 

in the Monument and 

surrounding Sierra 

Nevada?

Associated trends 

in climate-driven 

processes based 

on science literature 

review.

Status and Trend 1-2 years

Regional Ecology 

Program

produced hot springs and soda springs, and glacial 

and river-carved gorges.

● Cultural resources, both historic and prehistoric, 

which provide a record of human adaptation to the 

landscape, and land use patterns that have shaped 

ecosystems.

Cultural resources are monitored based on law, 

regulation, and policy. Most monitoring takes place 

based on site-specific project needs and are developed 

through the process codified in the National Historic 

Preservation Act (NHPA) in consultation with the 

State Historic Preservation Officer and Advisor 

Council on Historic Preservation. Monitoring is 

based on the potential to affect historic properties 

listed and/or potentially eligible for listing on the 

National Register of Historic Places. Standard 

protection and mitigation measures, and monitoring 

of those measures, can be found in the First Amended 

Regional Programmatic Agreement Among the 

U.S.D.A. Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Region, 

California State Historic Preservation Officer, and 

Advisory Council on Historic Preservation Regarding 

the Process for Compliance with Section 106 of the 

National Historic Preservation Act for Undertakings 

on the National Forests of the Pacific Southwest 

Region (2001) (Regional PA), the Programmatic 

Agreement Among the U.S.D.A. Forest Service, 

Pacific Southwest Region, California State Historic 

Preservation Officer, and Advisory Council on 

Historic Preservation Regarding the Identification, 

Evaluation, and Treatment of Historic Properties 

managed by the National forests of the Sierra Nevada, 

California (1996).
Part 3—Design Criteria

Management Plan Giant Sequoia National Monument

112

Monitoring or 

Inventory Program 

or Project

Monitoring Question Performance 

Measures

Type of 

Monitoring

Frequency of 

Reporting and 

Source

Ecosystem Analysis

Assessment of 

watershed condition

Have Monument 

landscapes been 

analyzed to identify 

opportunities for site 

specific environmental 

analysis including 

reduction of risks and 

hazards associated 

with wildfire; 

opportunities for 

ecological restoration; 

program and budget 

development; and 

priorities for cultural, 

social and economic 

ecological needs?

# of landscape 

analyses (hydrologic 

unit code [HUC] 6thfield) completed.

Status and Trend Within 5 years of 

ROD, as new science/

information available.

SQF

Was current 

distribution of 

geologically unstable 

lands identified in 

landscape analysis?

# of landscape 

analyses (HUC 6thfield) completed that 

identified this.

Status and Trend Within 5 years of 

ROD, as new science/

information available.

SQF

Assessment 

of watershed 

condition: stream 

channel discharge 

and geometry 

relationships

What are the current 

distribution, status and 

location of flooding 

and discharge 

relationships of 

channels?

Channel geometry, 

discharge 

relationships.

Status and Trend Ongoing, in response 

to flood events.

SQF

Assessment 

of watershed 

condition: stream 

bank erosion rates

What are the 

background stream 

bank erosion rates?

Stream bank 

erosion.

Status and Trend Ongoing

SQF

Assessment 

of watershed 

condition: stream 

channel discharge 

and geometry 

relationships

Are discharge and 

channel geometry 

relationships 

established?

Channel geometry, 

discharge 

relationships at the 

new HUC scale.

Status and Trend Ongoing

SQF

Were the areas with 

a history of flooding 

identified in landscape 

analysis?

Review the 

watershed condition 

assessment data.

Status and Trend In response to flood 

events.

SQF

Assessment 

of watershed 

condition: areas of 

special concern

Did the landscape 

analysis identify areas 

of special concern, 

raise awareness 

of conditions, and 

result in mitigation/

design modification/

protection/action?

# of completed 

landscape analyses 

at the 6th-field HUC 

level.

Status and Trend Before site-specific 

project analysis

SQF
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Giant Sequoia National Monument Management Plan

113

Monitoring or 

Inventory Program 

or Project

Monitoring Question Performance 

Measures

Type of 

Monitoring

Frequency of 

Reporting and 

Source

Stream bank 

erosion rates

Have background 

stream channel 

erosion rates changed 

as a result of natural 

processes (including 

fire) or management 

actions?

Stream bank 

erosion.

Status and Trend After site-specific 

project or disturbance

SQF

Stream channel 

discharge 

and geometry 

relationships

Are discharge and 

channel geometry 

relationships for 

the 5th-field HUC 

accurate at the 6thfield HUC?

Compare 5th-field 

HUC stream channel 

discharge and 

geometry data with 

6th-field HUC data.

Validation After disturbance

SQF

Stream bank 

erosion rates

Are discharge and 

channel geometry 

relationships for 

the 5th-field HUC 

accurate at the 6thfield HUC?

Compare 5th-field 

HUC erosion rates 

with 6th-field HUC 

rates.

Validation After disturbance

SQF

Meadow 

ecosystems

What is the ecological 

condition of meadow 

ecosystems?

Change in wetland 

rating, vegetation 

rating, and 

ecological status 

per R5 monitoring 

protocol.

Status and Trend 5-10 years

RO

Is there a change 

in the total area 

occupied by montane 

meadows?

Total area of 

montane meadows 

by class (dry/wet 

meadow with/without 

woody vegetation).

Status and Trend 5-10 years

RO

Aquatic Resources

Aquatic resource 

and habitat 

condition

What is the current 

state of aquatic 

resources and habitat 

conditions?

Stream condition, 

aquatic macro 

invertebrates.

Status and Trend Every 5 years after 

plots established

SQF

Did stream condition 

inventory data 

show changes in 

aquatic resource and 

habitat conditions 

following large-scale 

disturbances (such as 

fires and floods)?

Analysis of stream 

condition inventories 

for change.

Status and Trend After disturbances

SQF
Part 3—Design Criteria

Management Plan Giant Sequoia National Monument

114

Monitoring or 

Inventory Program 

or Project

Monitoring Question Performance 

Measures

Type of 

Monitoring

Frequency of 

Reporting and 

Source

Are stream systems 

capable of moving 

sediment without 

causing channel 

alterations and 

damage to riparian 

and aquatic habitat?

Changes in stability 

and indicators of 

disequilibrium.

Effectiveness After disturbances

SQF

Aquatic resource 

and habitat 

condition

What is the current 

state of aquatic 

resources and habitat 

conditions within the 

watershed?

Inventories and/or 

analysis of aquatic 

resources.

Status and Trend After disturbances

SQF

Protection from 

flooding

Did the assumptions 

used to formulate 

flooding potential 

on life, roperty, and 

natural resources 

halep reduce or 

avoid damage from 

flooding?

Evaluate 

assumptions for 

flooding events.

Effectiveness After disturbances

SQF

Geological Resources

Cave condition Were cave resources 

considered in 

landscape analyses?

# of caves 

inventoried.

Status and Trend Ongoing

SQF

Cultural Resources

Cultural resource 

condition

Have changes 

occurred in the 

condition of, integrity 

of, and disturbance 

risk to cultural 

resources?

Site condition. Status and Trend Every 3-5 years

SQF

Fire And Fuels

Fire susceptibility Have we identified 

areas of fire 

susceptibility that 

need to be treated to 

move toward desired 

conditions?

Ground fuels, ladder 

fuels, crown bulk 

density, and tree 

density. Acres in 

need of treatment 

as determined in 

landscape analysis.

Effectiveness Within 5 years of 

ROD, as new science/

information available

SQF

Have we treated 

areas of high fire 

susceptibility to 

move toward desired 

conditions?

Acres of fire 

susceptibility 

meeting desired 

conditions.

Status and Trend Every 5 years

SQF
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Giant Sequoia National Monument Management Plan

115

Monitoring or 

Inventory Program 

or Project

Monitoring Question Performance 

Measures

Type of 

Monitoring

Frequency of 

Reporting and 

Source

Fire behavior and 

fire regime

Are the fire and 

fuel strategies and 

treatments effective in 

achieving the desired 

fire behavior and 

fire regimes within 

vegetation types or 

series?

Severity, rate of 

spread, fire type, 

intensity, frequency, 

spotting, crown bulk 

density, tree density

Effectiveness Every 5 years or 

following major wildfire 

events

SQF

Fuel loading How effective are fuel 

treatments (prescribed 

burning, hand and 

mechanical treatments) and managed 

wildfire in achieving 

desired fuel loading at 

treatment sites?

Surface fuels, ladder 

fuels, crown loading.

Effectiveness Every 5 years or 

following major wildfire 

events

SQF

Groundwater

Groundwater What is the 

relationship between 

groundwater, giant 

sequoia grove 

ecology, and meadow 

ecosystems?

Groundwater 

fluctuation and soil 

moisture levels 

as measured by 

lysimeters and 

piezometers 

in groves and 

meadows. 

Status and Trend Ongoing

SQF

Invasive Plants/Noxious Weeds

Noxious weed 

inventory

What is the 

distribution of noxious 

weeds?

Miles of roads and 

trails inventoried, 

distribution of 

noxious weeds.

Status and Trend Within 3 years of 

ROD, as new science/

information available

SQF

Socioeconomics

Socioeconomics How are communities 

changing in response 

to social and 

economic conditions?

Change in 

demographics.

Status and Trend Every 10 years

RO

What is the capacity 

for economic 

development 

in gateway 

communities?

Housing, 

employment by 

industry, index 

of industrial 

specialization, place 

of work, source of 

income.

Status and Trend Every 10 years

RO
Part 3—Design Criteria

Management Plan Giant Sequoia National Monument

116

Monitoring or 

Inventory Program 

or Project

Monitoring Question Performance 

Measures

Type of 

Monitoring

Frequency of 

Reporting and 

Source

Vegetation

Giant sequoia 

groves

What is the size 

and age of giant 

sequoias? What is 

the number of larger 

or monarch giant 

sequoias?

Dbh, age, height, 

crown ratio, and 

crown height 

(common stand 

exams).

Status and Trend 1-10 years

SQF

What are the age and 

species composition 

of vegetation?

Age, # by species 

(common stand 

exams).

Status and Trend 10 years

SQF

What is the status of 

ladder fuels and fuel 

loading?

Height by seral 

stage and species, 

amount of down 

woody material 

(common stand 

exams).

Status and Trend 5-10 years

SQF

What is the status 

of giant sequoia 

regeneration?

# of seedlings and 

saplings (common 

stand exams).

Status and Trend 5-10 years

SQF

What is the change 

in structure in giant 

sequoia groves and 

is it trending toward 

desired conditions? 

Dbh, age, height, 

crown ratio, and 

crown height 

(common stand 

exams).

Effectiveness/

Status and Trend

2-5 years

SQF

What is the change 

in age and species 

composition and is 

it trending toward 

desired conditions?

Age, # by species 

(common stand 

exams).

Effectiveness/

Status and Trend

2-5 years

SQF

What is the change 

in ladder fuels and 

fuel loading and is 

it trending toward 

desired conditions?

Height by seral 

stage and species, 

amount of down 

woody material 

(common stand 

exams).

Effectiveness/

Status and Trend

2-5 years

SQF

What is the change in 

status of giant sequoia 

regeneration and is 

it trending toward 

desired conditions?

# of seedlings and 

saplings (common 

stand exams).

Effectiveness/

Status and Trend

2-5 years

SQF

General Monument 

outside groves

What are the age and 

species composition 

of vegetation?

Age, # by species 

(common stand 

exams).

Status and Trend 10 years

SQF
Part 3—Design Criteria

Giant Sequoia National Monument Management Plan

117

Monitoring or 

Inventory Program 

or Project

Monitoring Question Performance 

Measures

Type of 

Monitoring

Frequency of 

Reporting and 

Source

What is the status of 

ladder fuels and fuel 

loading?

Height by seral 

stage and species, 

amount of down 

woody material 

(common stand 

exams).

Status and Trend 10 years

SQF

What is the status of 

regeneration?

# of seedlings and 

saplings (common 

stand exams).

Status and Trend 10 years

SQF

What is the change 

in age and species 

composition and is 

it trending toward 

desired conditions?

Age, # by species 

(common stand 

exams), R5 

CALVEG, CWHR.

Effectiveness/

Status and Trend

5-10 years

SQF, RSL

What is the change 

in ladder fuels and 

fuel loading and is 

it trending toward 

desired conditions?

Height by seral 

stage and species, 

amount of down 

woody material 

(common stand 

exams, FIA plots).

Effectiveness/

Status and Trend

10 years

SQF

What is the change in 

status of regeneration 

and is it trending 

toward desired 

conditions?

# of seedlings and 

saplings (common 

stand exams, FIA 

plots).

Effectiveness/

Status and Trend

10 years

SQF

Deforestation by 

wildfire

How many acres of 

forest and woodlands 

have been deforested 

as a result of wildfire?

Acres of forest 

and woodland 

vegetation (by type, 

including giant 

sequoia groves) in 

deforested condition 

following wildfire.

Status and Trend Annually for fires 

exceeding 1,000 acres 

on National Forest 

System lands

RO

Carbon stocks What are the baseline 

carbon stocks?

Total aboveground 

carbon measured at 

FIA plots.

Status and Trend Within 5 years of 

ROD, as new science/

information available

FIA Program

Forest health What is the extent 

of tree mortality and 

injury?

Total number of 

dead trees and total 

number of acres 

with recent tree 

mortality or injury, 

by forest type and 

injury agent, based 

on aerial surveys.

Status and Trend Annually

Forest Health 

Protection, State and 

Private Forestry
Part 3—Design Criteria

Management Plan Giant Sequoia National Monument

118

Part 2 Monitoring

Monitoring in Part 2 of the Monument Monitoring 

Plan is focused on program implementation 

including inventory. The Sequoia National Forest 

currently uses performance measures for tracking 

program accomplishments (see the following table). 

The current system is expected to be replaced by 

a performance accountability system integrating 

Monitoring or 

Inventory Program 

or Project

Monitoring Question Performance 

Measures

Type of 

Monitoring

Frequency of 

Reporting and 

Source

Canopy gap 

analysis

Are gaps in the 

canopy large or 

frequent enough 

to meet desired 

conditions for 

regeneration of giant 

sequoias and pines?

Canopy cover, acres 

of canopy gaps 

(common stand 

exams).

Effectiveness/

Status and Trend

10-20 years

SQF

Wildlife

Wildlife protection Do management 

strategies provide 

for the protection of 

wildlife habitat?

Occupancy, habitat 

conditions.

Effectiveness Ongoing

SQF

Terrestrial wildlife Are wildlife species 

adequately protected?

Occupancy, habitat 

conditions.

Effectiveness Within 5 years of 

ROD, as new science/

information available

SQF

What is the status 

of the Pacific fisher 

population?

Detection rates. Status and Trend Ongoing

RO

What is the status of 

the willow flycatcher 

population and its 

suitable habitat?

Occupancy, habitat 

conditions at the five 

historically occupied 

sites.

Status and Trend Every 4 years

SQF

Threatened, Endangered, and Sensitive (TES) Plants

TES Plants What is the status of 

known populations 

of and suitable 

habitat for TES 

species (specifically 

Springville Clarkia)?

Plant survey Status and Trend Annually

SQF

Is there any change 

in the status, 

location, and suitable 

habitat for TES 

species (specifically 

Springville Clarkia)?

Analysis of 

population 

demographics.

Status and Trend Annually

SQF

annual budgets with programs of work (WorkPlan) 

and linking these to tracking of activities designed 

to implement the National Strategic Plan through 

the Forest Activities Tracking System (FACTS) or 

subsequent reporting system.

Actual performance is tracked over time through 

annual documentation of accomplishments. The 

Forest Supervisor and other managers will display 
Part 3—Design Criteria

Giant Sequoia National Monument Management Plan

119

suppression (preparedness) to implement the National 

Fire Plan. Some other program budgets increased at 

roughly the rate of inflation. 

For the Sequoia National Forest, the budget 

allocations for the last three fiscal years (2009-2011) 

were:

1. PAOT Days=persons at one time days

Table 48 Part 2 Monitoring Summary

Accomplishment Units Measuring 

Frequency 

(years)

Report 

Period 

(years)

Wildlife habitat improvement Acres 1 1

Fish habitat improvement Miles of stream, acres of lake 1 1

Watershed improvement Acres 1 1

Meadow restoration Acres 1 1

Fuel treatment Acres (WUI & non-WUI) 1 1

Vegetation management for ecological restoration 

and maintenance

Acres 1 1

Cultural resources managed to standard Number of sites 1 1

Recreation use PAOT days(1) 1 1

Trail maintenance Miles 1 1

Rangeland improvement Acres 1 1

Grazing allotments administered to standard Acres 1 1

Road maintenance Miles 1 1

Program FY2009 FY2010 FY2011

(in million $)

Fire/fuels 

management

16.15 15.75 15.19

Recreation/

facilities/trails

2.18 1.81 1.59

Natural 

resources

2.32 1.93 2.28

Total 20.65 19.49 19.06

monitoring results in evaluation reports after a 

management review and determine if any changes are 

needed in plan guidance. These data will no longer 

be reported in the annual report agreed to in the 1990 

Mediated Settlement Agreement (1990 MSA), but 

rather will be reported in an annual monitoring and 

evaluation report (Forest Plan Monitoring Report). 

This report will include both site-specific project 

monitoring and forest-wide (programmatic level) 

monitoring.

Inventory is a continuous effort. As funding is 

available, priority inventories are implemented 

and reported through various resource information 

systems, such as the Natural Resources Information 

System (NRIS) and the Infrastructure database 

(INFRA). Periodic evaluation of inventory data 

is used to explore trends in resource conditions 

over time. Annual forest plan monitoring reports 

will document when there is a need to change the 

Monument Plan in response to changing trends in 

resource conditions.

General Budget History

The Sequoia National Forest’s budget allocations 

increased from 1995 to 2009. Analysis of budget 

history indicates that practically all of the increase 

was for hazardous fuels reduction and fire preBased on the current trend, budgets for the Sequoia 

National Forest are predicted to decline in the first 

years of plan implementation.
Part 3—Design Criteria

Management Plan Giant Sequoia National Monument

120

Table 49 Part 3 Monitoring Summary

Monitoring 

or Inventory 

Program or 

Project

Monitoring Question Performance 

Measures

Type of 

Monitoring

Frequency of 

Reporting and 

Source

Air Quality

Air quality Did smoke from prescribed fire 

contribute to public nuisance 

or health standard violations?

Micrograms/

cubic meter of 

PM10, visual 

observations.

Status and Trend Bi-annually

SQF

Aquatic Resources

Water quality Were best management 

practices (BMPs) identified for 

all activities in the Monument?

% implementation 

monitoring of 

BMPs.

Implementation Ongoing

SQF

Were BMPs monitored on all 

projects?

% effectiveness 

monitoring of 

BMPs.

Implementation After site-specific 

projects

SQF

Were BMP prescriptions 

effective in protecting soil 

and water resources of the 

watersheds?

SCI surveys. Effectiveness After site-specific 

projects

SQF

Cultural Resources

Cultural 

resource 

condition

Have cultural resources been 

identified and located in project 

areas and managed wildfire 

locations?

# of sites 

inventoried.

Status and Trend Ongoing

SQF

Were cultural resources 

affected by forest use and 

management activities?

# of sites affected. Status and Trend Every 3-5 years

SQF

Part 3 Monitoring

Monitoring for Part 3 of the Monument Monitoring 

Plan is conducted at the project level. Monitoring 

and evaluation will be conducted to determine how 

well the management direction for the Monument 

(strategies, objectives, and standards and guidelines) 

has been followed, and how closely standards and 

guidelines have been applied.

The monitoring plan presented in the following 

table consists of those special activities that focus on 

evaluating the broad aspects of plan implementation 

associated with projects and ongoing activities.

Other monitoring consists of reports, reviews, 

and records that occur as a routine part of forest 

management. Actions not duplicated in this plan 

include such things as: individual and annual fire 

reports; management attainment reports; annual 

vegetation management action plans, reviews, and 

reports; budget and financial management documents; 

recreation information management reports and 

databases; visitor use monitoring; special uses 

administration; environmental analysis reports; 

activity reviews; audits; and general management 

reviews.
Part 3—Design Criteria

Giant Sequoia National Monument Management Plan

121

Monitoring 

or Inventory 

Program or 

Project

Monitoring Question Performance 

Measures

Type of 

Monitoring

Frequency of 

Reporting and 

Source

Fire And Fuels

Fire threat and 

severity

Have we identified areas in the 

WUI and general Monument 

that need treatment to reduce 

the threat and severity of 

wildfire?

Ground fuels, 

ladder fuels, crown 

bulk density, 

and tree density. 

Acres in need 

of treatment 

as determined 

in landscape 

analysis.

Status and Trend Within 5 years 

of ROD, as new 

science/information 

available

SQF

Do fire and fuel treatments 

in the WUI and general 

Monument reduce the threat 

and severity of wildfire?

Treatment 

characteristics 

(location and type), 

ground fuels, 

ladder fuels, crown 

bulk density, and 

tree density.

Status and Trend Every 5 years

SQF

Prescribed 

burns and 

managed 

wildfire

Are prescribed burns and 

managed wildfire being used 

to meet or move toward 

desired conditions?

Acres of 

prescribed burns, 

acres of managed 

wildfire.

Status and Trend Annually

SQF

Geological Resources

Cave condition Are caves affected by 

management activities?

# of caves affected 

by management 

activities.

Status and Trend Every 3 years

SQF

Are gates secured and cave 

features protected in Church 

and Boyden Caves?

Condition of 

Church and 

Boyden Caves.

Status and Trend Annually

SQF

Invasive Plants/Noxious Weeds

Noxious weed 

inventory

Are noxious weed populations 

responding to the management 

strategies?

Noxious weed 

populations and 

distribution.

Status and Trend Ongoing

SQF

Range

Utilization 

standards: 

lower westside 

hardwoods

Did grazing utilization follow 

standards and guidelines for 

residual dry matter (RDM)?

Indices of RDM. Status and Trend Annually, at end of 

grazing season

SQF

Are utilization standards for 

oaks being met?

% livestock browse 

on annual growth 

of hardwood 

seedlings and 

advanced 

regeneration.

Status and Trend Annually, at end of 

grazing season

SQF
Part 3—Design Criteria

Management Plan Giant Sequoia National Monument

122

Monitoring 

or Inventory 

Program or 

Project

Monitoring Question Performance 

Measures

Type of 

Monitoring

Frequency of 

Reporting and 

Source

Did grazing utilization maintain 

at least 60% cover in annual 

grasslands?

% ground cover. Status and Trend Annually, at end of 

grazing season

SQF

Are grazing utilization 

standards for oak regeneration 

meeting desired conditions?

Grazing 

utilization of oak 

regeneration.

Status and Trend Every 5 years

SQF

Utilization 

standards: 

aquatic, 

meadow, 

and riparian 

ecosystems

Are grazing utilization 

standards being met for 

meadow vegetation?

Ecological status 

of meadows per 

R5 monitoring 

protocol.

Status and Trend Annually, at end of 

grazing season

SQF

Ecological 

status: range 

of natural 

variability

Has the range of natural 

variability been determined in 

the Monument?

Riparian 

conditions.

Status and Trend Annually

SQF

Ecological 

status: stream 

banks

Are stream banks maintained 

at desired conditions?

% stream bank 

alteration.

Status and Trend Annually

SQF

Ecological 

status: aquatic, 

meadow, 

and riparian 

ecosystems

What is the ecological status 

and trend of key aquatic, 

meadow, and riparian 

ecosystems within allotments?

Change in wetland 

rating, vegetation 

rating, riparian 

condition, stream 

condition, and 

ecological status 

per R5 monitoring 

protocol. 

Status and Trend Every 5 years

SQF

Ecological 

status: special 

aquatic 

features

Are special aquatic features 

protected from grazing/

Riparian 

vegetation within 

allotments.

Status and Trend Annually

SQF

Ecological 

status: woody 

riparian shrubs

Are grazing utilization 

standards being met for woody 

riparian shrubs?

% browsed mature 

riparian shrubs 

and individual 

seedlings.

Status and Trend Annually

SQF

Soils

Assessment of 

soil quality

Were soil quality standards 

identified for management 

activities?

Soil quality 

standards 

documented in 

project record.

Status and Trend Ongoing

SQF

Was soil condition assessed?

Were soil erosion risk 

and ground cover needs 

evaluated?

Soil condition 

assessment.(1)

Status and Trend Ongoing

SQF
Part 3—Design Criteria

Giant Sequoia National Monument Management Plan

123

Table 50 Soil Indicator Condition Exhibit

Soil 

Function

Indicator Soil Indicator Condition 

Functioning Properly

Meets Desired Condition

Functioning at Risk Impaired Function 

Productivity 

for plant 

growth

Organic 

matter on 

mineral soil

The size, amount, and 

distribution of organic matter 

present are within the range 

for the ecological type and 

normal fire return interval. 

Soil cover level is 50% or 

greater, composed mostly of 

fine organic matter, and well 

distributed. 

Fine organic matter 

covers 30-49% of the 

soil surface in the 

area. 

Fine organic matter 

covers less than 30% 

of the soil surface in 

the area. 

Soil organic 

matter 

(humus) in 

mineral soil

The thickness and typical color 

of the topsoil present is within 

the range of characteristics for 

the soil type and is distributed 

normally. Minor areas of 

displacement may have 

occurred but will not affect the 

productivity for the desired 

plant species. 

Topsoil has been lost, 

displaced, or removed 

to a depth and in an 

area large enough 

to affect productivity 

for the desired 

plant species, but is 

restricted to localized 

areas. 

Topsoil has been lost, 

displaced, or removed 

to a depth and in an 

area large enough 

to affect productivity 

for the desired plant 

species over a major 

portion of the area. 

1. See the following Soil Indicator Condition Exhibit.

Monitoring 

or Inventory 

Program or 

Project

Monitoring Question Performance 

Measures

Type of 

Monitoring

Frequency of 

Reporting and 

Source

Was the risk of soil 

displacement evaluated?

Are aquic soil moisture 

conditions appropriate for local 

conditions?

Was soil compaction risk 

assessed considering 

both existing and potential 

conditions?

After management activity, 

was ground cover maintained, 

soil displacement minimized, 

aquic soil moisture maintained 

(where appropriate), and 

compaction minimized?

Soil condition 

assessment.(1)

Status and Trend Ongoing

SQF

Have chemical applications 

been applied in a manner 

consistent with soil quality 

standards?

Chemical 

application rates.

Status and Trend Ongoing

SQF
Part 3—Design Criteria

Management Plan Giant Sequoia National Monument

124

Soil 

Function

Indicator Soil Indicator Condition 

Functioning Properly

Meets Desired Condition

Functioning at Risk Impaired Function 

Erosion 

prevention

An adequate level of soil cover 

is present and signs of erosion 

are not visible or extremely 

minor in degree and extent. 

No gully erosion is present. 

Erosion control measures are 

effective. 

In localized portions 

of the area signs 

of erosion such as 

pedestals, sheet, rill, 

and/or gully erosion 

is visible. Erosion 

control measures are 

ineffective and actions 

may be needed to 

prevent further soil 

loss. 

Soil cover is 

inadequate throughout 

the area and 

pedestals, sheet, rill, 

and/or gully erosion is 

widespread. Erosion 

control measures are 

needed immediately 

to prevent further soil 

loss. 

Aquic soil 

moisture 

regime 

Water-dependent species 

composition comprises the 

majority (70-90%) of plant 

species present. A variety 

of species and age classes 

are represented. Growth 

is vigorous and ground 

continuous. Deep dense root 

mat is inferred (Pfankuch 

1978). 

Water-dependent 

plant species cover 

from 50-70%, and 

lack of vigor is evident 

in some individuals 

or species. Seedling 

reproduction is nil 

(Pfankush 1978).

Less than 50% of the 

ground is covered 

and root mass is 

discontinuous and 

shallow. Waterdependent species are 

diminished in present 

(Pfankush 1978).

Hydrologic 

function

Soil cover Soil cover is present in amount 

and distribution to protect the 

soil surface from raindrop 

impact and runoff energy. Soil 

Cover includes mostly smaller 

diameter organic material 

(< 3 inches), rock fragments 

(> 3⁄4 inch) and low growing 

vegetation (grass, forbs, shrub 

canopy within 3 feet of the soil 

surface). Any sign of overland 

flow and erosion is minor in 

degree and extent. 

Soil cover is lacking 

and there is evidence 

of overland flow and 

erosion in localized 

portions of the area.

Soil cover is 

lacking and there is 

widespread evidence 

of overland flow and 

erosion in the area. 

Infiltration and 

permeability 

capacity 

Visually, soil structure and 

macro-porosity in the top 

10 inches are relatively 

unchanged from natural 

condition for the soil type, and 

no signs of erosion or overland 

flow are present or extremely 

minor in degree and extent. 

Infiltration and permeability 

capacity of the soil is sufficient 

for the local climate. 

In portions of the 

area being assessed, 

overland flow and 

signs of erosion are 

visible, indicating 

the infiltration and 

permeability capacity 

of the soil has been 

exceeded for the local 

climate. 

 Overland flow and 

signs of erosion are 

widespread throughout 

the area, indicating 

the infiltration and 

permeability capacity 

of the soil has been 

exceeded for the local 

climate.
Giant Sequoia National Monument Management Plan

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Part 4—Transportation Plan
Management Plan Giant Sequoia National Monument

126

Part 4—Transportation Plan
Giant Sequoia National Monument Management Plan

127

Part 4—Transportation Plan

The Proclamation (Clinton 2000) states:

The management plan shall contain a transportation 

plan for the monument that provides for visitor 

enjoyment and understanding about the scientific 

and historic objects in the monument, consistent 

with their protection. For the purposes of protecting 

the objects included in the monument, motorized 

vehicle use will be permitted only on designated 

roads, and non-motorized mechanized vehicle 

use will be permitted only on designated roads 

and trails, except for emergency or authorized 

administrative purposes or to provide access for 

persons with disabilities. No new roads or trails 

will be authorized within the monument except to 

further the purposes of the monument. Prior to the 

issuance of the management plan, existing roads 

and trails may be closed or altered to protect the 

objects of interest in the monument, and motorized 

vehicle use will be permitted on trails until but not 

after December 31, 2000 (Clinton 2000, p. 24098).

Current management of the Monument complies 

with the Proclamation direction to limit motorized 

vehicles to designated roads, with the exception of 

Trails 27E04 and 27E05 in the Kings River Special 

Management Area (KRSMA). Designated road 

maps were published in 2001 and with the 2003 

Monument Plan Final EIS, and motor vehicle use 

maps (MVUMs) were published in 2008 to reflect 

this management of the transportation system in the 

Monument (the two MVUMs covering the Monument 

are included in the Map Packet for this Monument 

Plan).

Because the Giant Sequoia National Monument 

Plan is a programmatic level decision and does not 

directly authorize any project level site specific 

actions, the transportation plan also does not make 

any site specific changes to the transportation system. 

Instead it provides a framework by which to manage 

the transportation system and make future decisions 

concerning changes to it that support the management 

intent of the Monument Plan. Changes to the existing 

transportation system will only be made after 

appropriate site-specific environmental analysis.

Desired Conditions

Roads are safe and fully-maintained to minimize 

adverse resource effects while providing public and 

administrative access to National Forest System lands 

and facilities within the Monument. The road system 

is properly sized to provide needed access to the 

objects of interest for their proper care, protection, 

and management, as well as visitor enjoyment of the 

Monument. Roads that are no longer needed have 

been decommissioned to restore natural drainage and 

vegetation, or converted to other uses.

Strategies and Objectives 

for the Transportation 

System

The transportation system will provide high levels 

of access for public and management use, consistent 

with protection and restoration of the Monument. 

New roads may be constructed to meet management 

goals, such as to provide access to new recreation 

facilities, to provide access to the objects of interest, 

to provide access to new administrative sites, to 

replace roads that have unacceptable resource effects, 

or to provide access for scientific research.

Strategies

1. Size and maintain the road system to minimize 

adverse resource effects, while providing 

appropriate public and administrative access to 

National Forest System lands and facilities in the 

Monument.

2. Promote aquatic organism passage at road stream 

crossings where needed.

3. Maintain roads with effective road drainage and 

erosion controls to conserve existing soil and to 

reduce effects to adjacent riparian and aquatic 

systems.

4. Complete 6th-field watershed analysis, and review 

the transportation system in the Monument using 

forest-scale travel analysis to inform future 

opportunities for changes in road status, including 

changes in maintenance level, decommissioning, 

or conversion to trails.
Management Plan Giant Sequoia National Monument

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Part 4—Transportation Plan

5. Consult with local tribal governments and Native 

Americans to provide for transportation and access 

needs, including access to culturally important 

sites and resources for use by Native Americans.

6. Coordinate transportation planning, management, 

and road decommissioning with Sequoia and 

Kings Canyon National Parks; other federal, state, 

and county agencies; and the Tule River Indian 

Tribe, to reduce traffic congestion and safety 

hazards, especially along major travelways.

7. Partner with state and local agencies to operate 

and maintain roads for four-season use where 

appropriate.

8. Provide parking facilities to meet projected use, as 

determined through site-specific project analysis.

9. Base proposals for new roads on the need to 

provide access for recreation opportunities, 

other public use, or management activities, as 

appropriate to the purposes of the Monument.

10.Convert roads to trails or other uses, or 

decommission roads not needed to meet 

management objectives.

11.Emphasize opportunities for creating loop roads 

where feasible and appropriate.

12.Provide and maintain regulatory, warning, 

directional, and information signing on roads for 

travelers’ use.

13.Manage the road system to allow:

a. Both highway legal use and off-highway vehicle 

(OHV) use on designated roads.

b. Over-snow vehicles (OSV) use on designated 

roads.

c. Non-motorized mechanized vehicles (such as 

bicycles) on designated roads and trails.

Objectives

1. Within 2 years, complete travel analysis to 

determine the minimum necessary Transportation 

System (Subpart A of the Travel Management rule, 

36 CFR 212.5) for the Monument.

2. Within 2 years, complete a Monument-wide 

watershed improvement needs inventory (WINI) 

to identify adverse effects to watersheds from 

roads.

3. During the life of the Monument Plan, establish 

a sustainable and desirable off-highway vehicle 

(OHV) and over-snow (OSV) route system (on the 

existing road system), including loop opportunities 

where feasible and appropriate.

Current Transportation 

System

Road System

The road system in the Monument consists of 

approximately 822 miles of classified roads, 

ranging from single-lane dirt roads to paved-double 

lane roads. The miles of road by their assigned 

maintenance level (ML) are shown in the following 

table. These data are derived from the forest corporate 

tabular database for infrastructure (INFRA). The 

operational maintenance level is the maintenance 

level currently assigned to a road, considering 

today’s needs, road condition, budget constraints, 

and environmental concerns; in other words, it 

defines the level to which the road is currently being 

maintained. The objective maintenance level is the 

desired maintenance level to be assigned at a future 

date, considering future road management objectives, 

traffic needs, budget constraints, and environmental 

concerns. The objective maintenance level may be 

the same as, or higher or lower than, the operational 

maintenance level. Both maintenance levels may 

change in the future.

Table 51 Miles of Roads in the Monument by

 Maintenance Level

Maintenance Levels 

(ML)

Objective 

ML

Operational 

ML

1 (closed to motorized 

traffic)

313 71

2 (managed for highclearance vehicles)255 515

3 (low standard, 

passenger vehicle traffic)

134 127

4 (moderate standard, 

passenger vehicle traffic)

69 72

5 (two-lane paved, 

passenger vehicle traffic)

51 37

Total miles 822 822
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Part 4—Transportation Plan

Each road has a functional designation as an arterial, 

collector, or local road, as shown in the following 

table (data from INFRA database). Arterial roads 

(typically maintenance levels 4-5) are the main 

roads that traverse the forest and connect to major 

state highways or county roads. They are paved and 

designed for higher-speed travel. Collector roads 

(typically maintenance level 3) connect the arterial 

roads to local roads and balance access needs with 

construction and maintenance costs. Local roads 

(typically maintenance levels 1-2) are at the ends of 

collector roads, tend to be low standard, and serve a 

small land area.

Table 52 Miles of Road by Functional Class

Functional 

Class

Objective 

Class

Operational 

Class

Arterial 120 109

Collector 134 127

Local 568 586

Total miles 822 822

Approximately 265 miles of road are designated 

for OHV use in the northern portion of the 

Monument. The southern portion has OHV recreation 

opportunities on approximately 250 miles of unpaved, 

designated roads.

The road system in the Monument that is currently 

designated for motorized use is shown on the 

MVUMs for the Hume Lake and Western Divide 

Ranger Districts (see the map packet). These maps 

are published as required by the Travel Management 

Rule; they display the entire districts, including 

land outside the Monument, because they cannot be 

published for areas smaller than an administrative 

unit.

Trail System

The trail system within the Monument currently 

consists of approximately 196 miles of system trails, 

including about 12 miles of the Summit National 

Recreation Trail. Twelve developed trailheads offer 

parking, information, and restrooms; and 10 other 

trailheads provide only parking for trail users.

Some trail facilities are located within the current 

administrative boundaries of giant sequoia groves. 

Two interpretive trails, the Indian Basin Trail and 

the Trail of 100 Giants (about 2.5 miles combined) 

and seven trailheads (Chicago Stump, Boole Tree, 

Cherry Gap, Evans, Little Boulder, Freeman Creek, 

and Needles) are located in groves. OHV use is still 

allowed on about 3.8 miles of trail in the Kings River 

Special Management Area, which was designated 

under Public Law 100-150. This public law takes 

precedence over the Proclamation (Clinton 2000). 

This motorized use is shown on the MVUM for the 

Hume Lake Ranger District (see the map packet).

Snowmobile Use

In the northern portion of the Monument, 39 miles of 

marked routes are available for over-snow vehicles, 

21 of which are groomed; an additional 50 miles 

of unmarked roadbeds are open to snowmobiles. 

These routes offer opportunities for all levels of 

riding experience, from easy, groomed routes to very 

difficult, deep-powder routes. Facilities include four 

winter trailheads with parking, two of which have 

restrooms. Montecito Lake Resort, authorized under 

special use permit, offers 20 miles of groomed trails 

used exclusively by cross-country skiers.

The southern portion of the Monument features 

approximately 114 miles of primary groomed and 

marked roads, 68 miles of secondary groomed and 

marked roads, a warming hut located north of the 

junction of State Highway 190 and the Western 

Divide Highway, and three trailheads. Crosscountry skiing commonly occurs along the groomed 

snowmobile routes with some adventure trailbreaking occurring off-road. Volunteers commonly 

mark approximately four miles of ungroomed ski 

trails in the Quaking Aspen/Ponderosa and Parker 

Pass areas.

Transportation System 

Management

Maintenance Strategy

Currently available funding is insufficient to fully 

maintain the existing road system. The following 

strategies will be used to prioritize needed 

maintenance and to improve the ability to complete all 

needed maintenance:

1. Public safety and natural resource protection 

would be the highest priorities for maintenance.
Management Plan Giant Sequoia National Monument

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Part 4—Transportation Plan

2. Maintenance levels 3 through 5 roads would be 

higher priority for maintenance than maintenance 

levels 1 and 2 roads, due to the higher potential 

loss of investment, generally higher traffic 

volumes and speeds, and resulting safety risks and 

liabilities. 

3. Submit appropriate projects for maintenance, 

reconstruction, or rehabilitation funding when 

opportunities are available (agency funding, state 

grants, partnerships, and other sources).

4. Seek additional sources of funding to reduce the 

maintenance backlog and keep the road system 

in acceptable condition. Potential sources include 

Federal Highway Trust Fund funding through 

the national transportation bill and appropriated 

funding specifically for specially designated areas 

such as monuments.

5. Partner with user groups, permitees, and other 

entities to accomplish needed road maintenance.

6. Consider reducing the assigned maintenance 

level of individual roads based on access needs, 

resource risks, and costs to improve the ability to 

maintain the entire road system.

7. Consider closing roads not currently needed for 

resource management activities or significant 

recreation access to reduce maintenance costs, 

while retaining the road prism for expected future 

access needs.

8. Consider opportunities to reduce the size of the 

road system by decommissioning individual roads 

or converting them to non-motorized trails.

Road System Changes

Changes to the road system may include actions 

such as changes of assigned maintenance levels for 

individual roads, construction of new roads, removal 

of roads from the system through decommissioning, 

and conversion of roads to trails. New roads could 

be constructed to meet management goals to provide 

access to new recreation facilities or opportunities; to 

provide access to the objects of interest; to provide 

access to administrative sites (ranger stations, work 

centers, etc.); to replace roads producing unacceptable 

resource effects; or to provide access for scientific 

research.

The priority for road retention emphasizes retaining 

road access for public use and for management 

activities similar to current access levels. For public 

access, emphasis should be on maintaining roads 

to recreation sites, concentrated use areas used for 

dispersed recreation, sites authorized by special 

use permits, and private land. The road system will 

also be available for recreation driving and for offhighway vehicle use on roads designated for such 

use. For management access, emphasis should be on 

ecosystem restoration and fire protection.

Roads with high risks for causing unacceptable effects 

to natural resources should be repaired, relocated, 

closed, or decommissioned to reduce effects. Road 

decommissioning should focus on roads producing 

unacceptable effects where repair or relocation are 

unreasonable, roads where the potential for resource 

effects and high maintenance costs outweigh the need 

for access for resource management or recreation, and 

any unauthorized motorized routes remaining after the 

road system was designated in 2000, as required by 

the Proclamation.

Changes to the road system will be made through 

the travel analysis process and site-specific project 

analysis. The objective of travel analysis is to provide 

decisionmakers with critical information to develop 

road systems that are safe and responsive to public 

needs and desires, are affordable and efficiently 

managed, have minimal negative ecological effects 

on the land, and are in balance with available funding 

for needed management actions. Travel analysis is 

required to inform decisions related to identification 

of the minimum road system needed for safe and 

efficient travel and for administration, utilization, and 

protection of National Forest System lands; and to 

inform decisions related to the designation of roads 

for motor vehicle use.

An analysis of the entire designated road system in 

the Monument was completed in 2003, following 

the roads analysis process (RAP), which was agency 

direction at the time. The process was very similar to 

the current travel analysis direction, except that it was 

expanded to include motorized trails and areas. Since 

motorized travel is limited to designated roads in the 

Monument, the RAP completed in 2003 is still a valid 

tool to help inform decisions about the road system.
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Part 4—Transportation Plan

In the completed RAP, evaluation criteria were 

created based on specific topic areas described in the 

FS-643 miscellaneous report (agency direction at the 

time). These topics included ecosystem functions 

and processes; aquatic, riparian zones, and water 

quality; terrestrial wildlife; economics; minerals and 

range management, water production, and special 

forest products; special use permits; general public 

transportation; administrative uses; protection; roadrelated and unroaded recreation; passive use values; 

social issues; and civil rights and environmental 

justice. Similar criteria would be appropriate to 

evaluate the need for future changes in the trail 

system.

The evaluation criteria developed for the Monument 

RAP were:

● Aquatic risk factors

1. Geologic hazard

2. Stream crossing density

3. Riparian zone–stream proximity

● Terrestrial risk factors

1. Heritage resources

2. Road density effects on wildlife habitat

3. Scenic resources

● Access factors

1. Private/non-recreation public access

2. Public access (recreation)

3. Administrative site access

4. Vegetation management

5. Fire protection

● Social factors

1. Lifestyle, attitudes, beliefs and values

2. Economics

The aquatic and terrestrial risk factors were combined 

into a consolidated “risk equivalent” with a rating 

of low, medium, or high. The access and social 

factors were also combined into a consolidated “need 

equivalent” with a rating of low, medium, or high. 

Table 53 Potential Risk and Need Equivalent

 Combination Ratings

Need Equivalent

Risk 

equivalent

Low/low Low/

moderate

Low/high

Moderate/

low

Moderate/

moderate

Moderate/

high

High/low High/

moderate

High/high

This resulted in a combined potential risk versus need 

equivalent rating for each road in the system. The 

nine potential combined ratings are displayed in the 

following table.

Based on the combined rating, roads could be 

considered for the following changes:

1. Roads rarely used by the public or Forest 

Service (i.e., low need equivalent) and with 

high risk equivalent could be considered for 

decommissioning.

2. Roads rarely used by the public or Forest 

Service (i.e., low need equivalent) and with low 

resource risk equivalent could be considered for 

decommissioning or storm-proofing.

3. Roads accessing vegetation that has reached 

desired condition may be evaluated for 

decommissioning or storm-proofing.

4. Roads frequently used by the public or Forest 

Service (i.e., moderate to high need equivalent) 

with moderate to high resource risk equivalent 

could be evaluated to relocate portions of the roads 

away from resource risks or create alternate access 

routes with fewer resource risks.

5. Where two or more roads access the same 

area, traffic could be directed onto the more 

stable road and the less stable road(s) could be 

decommissioned.

The complete RAP can be found in Appendix A of 

the transportation report and listing of roads is in 

Appendix B of the transportation report, which is 

available in the project file at the Supervisor’s Office 

of the Sequoia National Forest.
Management Plan Giant Sequoia National Monument

132

Part 4—Transportation Plan

Some topic areas are best evaluated at the site-specific 

scale, rather than at the forest or Monument-wide 

scale. Some data can become diluted at the broad 

scale, so that areas appear to have low effects, 

whereas negative effects can be seen and evaluated 

more readily at the site-specific scale. The Monument 

RAP was conducted at a broad, forest scale to identify 

overall trends. Travel analysis can be conducted at 

multiple scales, as required to adequately inform 

proposed actions.

When changes are proposed to the road system to 

further the purposes of the Monument, the decisions 

made will be informed by travel analysis and sitespecific project analysis. Evaluation criteria for the 

travel analysis will include criteria similar to the 

criteria described for the RAP, as well as other criteria 

appropriate to the specific proposed action.
Giant Sequoia National Monument Management Plan

133

Appendices
Management Plan Giant Sequoia National Monument

134

Appendices

Appendix A—Location Map (California)
Appendices

Giant Sequoia National Monument Management Plan

135

Appendix B—Location Map (Local)
Management Plan Giant Sequoia National Monument

136

Appendices

Appendix C—Giant Sequoia Groves List

Sequoia Groves and Grove Complexes

Grove or Complex 

Name(1)

Date 

Inventoried

Acres in Sequoia 

National Forest

Groves within Grove Complex

Northern Portion

1. Abbott Creek October 2009 25

2. Agnew October 2009 43

3. Bearskin October 2009 187

4. Big Stump January 2002 431

5. Cherry Gap October 1999 170

6. Converse Basin November 1998 4,666

7. Deer Meadow October 2009 168

8. Evans Complex October 2009 4,256 Evans, Boulder, Little Boulder, Lockwood, 

Kennedy, Horseshoe Bend

9. Grant January 2002 292

10. Indian Basin April 2004 448

11. Landslide October 1999 226

12. Monarch October 2009 54

13. Redwood Mountain September 2003 1,036

Southern Portion

14. Alder Creek February 2004 409

15. Belknap Complex October 2009 3,084 Belknap, Wheel Meadow, McIntyre, Carr 

Wilson

16. Black Mountain February 2004 2,614

17. Burro Creek October 2009 278

18. Cunningham October 2009 32

19. Deer Creek November 1998 144

20. Dillonwood October 2009 373

21. Freeman Creek October 2009 4,192

22. Long Meadow November 1999 568

23. Maggie Mountain October 2009 64

24. Middle Tule October 2009 301

25. Mountain Home February 2004 1,295

26. Packsaddle(2) March 2004 533

27. Peyrone February 2004 741

28. Red Hill February 2004 602

29. Silver Creek October 2009 108

30. South Peyrone October 2009 115

1. Groves within close proximity to each other were identified as grove complexes during boundary mapping per the MSA.

2. The Packsaddle Grove includes the isolated Powderhorn Tree.
Giant Sequoia National Monument Management Plan

137

Appendix C, cont’d.

Grove or Complex 

Name(1)

Date 

Inventoried

Acres in Sequoia 

National Forest

Groves within Grove Complex

31. Starvation Complex January 2000 182 Starvation Creek, Powderhorn (the grove, not 

the named tree)

32. Upper Tule October 2009 22

33. Wishon October 2009 171

Total Acres of Groves in Sequoia 

National Forest

27,830
Management Plan Giant Sequoia National Monument

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Appendices

Appendix D—Giant Sequoia Groves Map
Appendices

Giant Sequoia National Monument Management Plan

139

Appendix E—Partnership Strategy

Partnership Strategy 

for the Sequoia National 

Forest and Giant Sequoia 

National Monument

Partnerships in land stewardship reflect a growing 

and important trend: the joining of passion and 

resources by committed citizens, organizations, and 

government agencies to achieve social, economic, 

and ecological goals. The Forest Service has worked 

with partners throughout its 100-year history. But 

the problems of land management have grown more 

complex, and the needs of the public more varied. 

The American people today are voicing their strong 

desire to volunteer and participate in the stewardship 

of natural resources and in the decisions that affect 

their communities (National Partnership Office 2005, 

accessed on December 21, 2009 from http://www.

partnershipresourcecenter.org/resources/partnershipguide/).

Creating a Partnership Culture

The Forest Supervisor on the Sequoia National Forest 

(forest) and Giant Sequoia National Monument 

(Monument) is responding to the needs of a varied 

public by empowering employees and communities 

of place, interest, and culture to create and sustain 

successful partnerships. The forest supervisor and 

forest staff have established the following partnership 

goals to accomplish the Forest Service mission and 

build a strong community of stewardship on the forest 

and Monument:

● Through partnership, sustain the health, diversity 

and productivity of the Sequoia National Forest 

and Giant Sequoia National Monument.

● Build community support for, and understanding 

of, the Sequoia National Forest and Giant Sequoia 

National Monument.

● Enhance opportunities to connect people to the 

land, especially in urban areas and of diverse 

cultures.

● Expand partnerships with other federal, state, and 

local government agencies, as well as associations, 

non-government organizations, and other 

community groups, to leverage information and 

resources for mutual benefit.

● Foster partnerships dealing with science.

● Create more “citizen stewards” of the Sequoia 

National Forest and Giant Sequoia National 

Monument through volunteerism.

● Support the ongoing efforts of the Giant Sequoia 

National Monument Association.

● Develop new partnerships focused on management 

of the land (for example, tree planting, protection 

from wildfire, education campaign to reduce trash 

in forest).

● Build and enhance partnerships to protect tribal 

sites and interpret cultural assets.

Accomplishing these goals will require new and 

innovative methods as well as the continuation of 

ongoing successful partnership efforts. The purpose 

of this strategy is to outline an iterative process for 

building and sustaining a strong partnership culture 

for the forest and Monument. The strategy includes 

the following components: a method for determining 

the forest and Monument capacity for working 

in partnership; best practices for building new 

partnerships; and steps for ensuring effective outreach 

to nontraditional partners.

Forest and Monument Capacity for 

Working in Partnership

The National Partnership Office of the U.S. Forest 

Service has designed an assessment tool to help 

Forest Service units assess, sustain, and improve 

their abilities to work with partners in continuing 

the Forest Service’s long history of partnership and 

collaboration in land stewardship (see http://www.

partnershipresourcecenter.org).

What Is the Partnership Capacity Assessment 

Tool?

The Partnership Capacity Assessment Tool is 

essentially a group exercise to reflect on experiences 

and attitudes about partnerships and collaboration. 

The tool asks the group to score itself on a series 

of questions about partnership opportunities, goals, 

resources, procedures, incentives, barriers, skills, and 

relationships. The group then uses these scores to 
Management Plan Giant Sequoia National Monument

140

Appendix E, cont’d.

chart strengths, analyze positive and negative factors 

that contribute to partnership capacity, and identify 

actions to sustain and grow capacity.

Who Should Use the Assessment Tool?

The Sequoia National Forest in conjunction with 

communities of place, interest, and culture who care 

about the Giant Sequoia National Monument will 

benefit from the assessment. This tool is designed to 

generate open dialogue with partners and among staff. 

It is also a useful starting point for assessing current 

partnership abilities and discussing how to maintain 

strengths or address needs.

How Can the Assessment Tool Best Meet the 

Needs of the Monument?

The Assessment Tool provides the format for a 

community forum to assess partnership needs and 

develop priorities to meet those needs. Including 

partners in the process can help to promote dialogue 

and improve relationships. However, the tool is not 

intended to assess the feasibility of or develop plans 

for specific partnership opportunities.

How Long and Where Will the Assessment 

Take Place?

The community forum can expect to complete the 

assessment in one evening session (3 to 4 hours). The 

investment of time will pay off by helping forest staff 

and potential partners to systematically identify needs 

and actions to meet those needs. Trained facilitators 

and recorders will be used to keep the process moving 

smoothly.

Best Practices for Building New 

Partnerships

Partnerships can be thought of as a type of 

alliance, where the complex interaction of business 

and interpersonal activities are essential to 

successfully achieving mutually beneficial goals. 

Key characteristics of successful interpersonal 

relationships include trust, communication, 

perspective taking, rapport building, and commitment. 

Partnerships are known to yield better results under 

certain conditions (Mockler 1999, O’Neill n.d., 

Appendix 2) including:

● When each partner recognizes the need to have 

access to capabilities and competencies it cannot 

develop internally; and

● When a gradual approach is preferable 

in accessing resources, capabilities, and 

competencies (as opposed to faster mechanisms 

such as contracting).

Keeping these conditions in mind, the following 

iterative best practices are provided to assist the forest 

staff in the identification of new Monument partners:

1. Place the partnership within the long-term 

strategies of the Monument

2. Define specific objectives of the partnership

3. Choose partners

4. Evaluate what to offer and what to receive in 

exchange

5. Define opportunities

6. Evaluate the effect on Monument stakeholders

7. Evaluate negotiating capabilities

8. Plan the integration

9. Create the partnership

1. Place the partnership within the long-term 

strategies of the Monument. Strategic alliances 

respond to various long-term strategies of the 

Monument. For example, the Interpretive Plan 

for the Sequoia National Forest and Giant 

Sequoia National Monument, published in 2008, 

established a strategy for the forest’s interpretive 

program, featuring the interpretation of the objects 

of interest, both natural and cultural. Interpretive 

services may be provided on-site or virtually. 

The specific interpretive products, services, and 

delivery methods are expected to evolve over 

time, in response to evolving technologies, visitor 

needs and demands, and available resources. 

Partnerships are important in the provision of 

interpretation, not only because of the extra 

resources they provide, but also because they help 

to enrich the information provided and help to 

develop a sense of stewardship in both the partners 

and recipients of interpretive services.

2. Define specific objectives of the partnership.

Three aspects of defining objectives are necessary 

for the success of the partnership:

a. As for any strategy, the objective should be 

compared with the forest and Monument’s 
Giant Sequoia National Monument Management Plan

141

Appendix E, cont’d.

available resources and capabilities and with 

those that could be used. The partnership 

should bridge the gap of existing resources 

and capabilities to achieve the objectives. The 

Assessment Tool can assist in identifying where 

these gaps occur.

b. A clear consensus (internally) on why the 

Agency cannot reach particular goals on its 

own and why it must seek a partnership with 

an external organization rather than internal 

development or via procurement.

c. Knowing where the partnership generates 

advantages within the chain of value and 

clarifying why each partner cannot develop 

these advantages internally.

3. Choose partners. According to Hill and Jones 

(1999), the right partner in an alliance must have 

three principal features:

a. The partner must have the resources and 

capabilities to help the Monument achieve its 

strategic goals. It must bring to the partnership 

what is missing from the others and which they 

are seeking.

b. The partner must share its long-term goals for 

the partnership. Failure is inevitable if the goals 

are divergent.

c. The partner must not use the alliance to 

appropriate know-how, relationships with 

clients or suppliers, or technology without 

making contributions of equal strategic weight. 

Alliances are longer lasting and better when 

they are considered between partners with a 

reputation for trustworthiness.

4. Evaluate what to offer and what to receive in 

exchange. Reciprocity is a key component of 

building trust. Each partner should evaluate which 

capabilities are critical to the partnership, and then 

decide what the Monument can offer to the others 

and what it can expect from them.

5. Define opportunities. Knowing the value of 

the opportunities that can be achieved with the 

alliance is an essential guide in negotiation and 

subsequent management of the partnership itself. 

Beyond the opportunities, it is also important to 

examine the possible threats.

6. Evaluate the effect on Monument stakeholders.

A key question to consider is, “How will 

stakeholders react to the partnership?”

7. Evaluate negotiating capabilities. A key 

question to consider here is, “What resources and 

capabilities can the partners realistically bring to 

the partnership?”

8. Plan the integration. A partnership “business 

plan” should:

a. Organize activities and functions 

b. Define accounting procedures

c. Define procedures to resolve conflicts

d. Define the relationships between the partnership 

and the Monument

9. Create the partnership. Flexibility is integral to 

sustaining an effective partnership. Whatever the 

form of the partnership, some principles apply:

a. Each partner has its own goals that dictate the 

role of the partnership,

b. The role of the partnership changes as internal 

and external conditions evolve, and 

c. The relationship between the partners is quite 

dynamic.

Steps for Ensuring Effective Outreach to 

Nontraditional Partners

The diversity of people using the Sequoia National 

Forest and Giant Sequoia National Monument will 

continue to increase, as the American population 

becomes more diverse and international visitors 

increase. The greatest growth is projected to be in 

Hispanic and Asian populations, and their use is 

projected to increase dramatically in the next 25 

years. Interpretation and outreach methods designed 

to connect nontraditional users to the Monument 

need to communicate important resource issues, 

solicit commitment to conservation, and encourage 

appropriate behaviors. Use of the Monument by 

nontraditional user groups, especially Hispanics and 

Asians, is prevalent and growing.

To assure effective outreach occurs within this 

growing segment of potential Monument partners, 

metrics should be designed to monitor and evaluate 

success, adapting as necessary to continually broaden 
Management Plan Giant Sequoia National Monument

142

Appendix E, cont’d.

the circle of involvement. The following steps may be 

considered, as appropriate, in developing innovative 

partnerships:

● Translation of major documents (or summaries 

thereof), provision of translators at meetings, or 

other efforts as appropriate to ensure that limitedEnglish speakers gain understanding of potential 

partnership opportunities;

● Provision of opportunities for limited-English 

speakers to provide comments and actively engage 

in partnership opportunities;

● Provision of opportunities for public participation 

through means other than written communication, 

such as personal interviews or use of audio or 

video recording devices to capture oral comments;

● Use of different meeting sizes or formats, or 

variation on the type and number of media 

used, so that communications are tailored to the 

particular community or population;

● Use of locations and facilities that are local, 

convenient, and accessible to disabled individuals, 

low-income and minority communities, and Indian 

tribes; and

● Assistance to hearing-impaired or sight-impaired 

individuals when needed.

References

Hill G.; Jones, G. 1999. Strategic management. 

Houghton Mifflin. 

Mockler, R.J. 1999. Multinational strategic alliances. 

Wiley.

O’Neill, B. n.d. Brian O’Neills’s 21 partnership 

success factors. San Francisco, CA: Golden Gate 

National Parks.

U.S. Department of Agriculture [USDA], 

Forest Service, National Partnership Office. 

2005. Partnership guide. http://www.

partnershipresourcecenter.org/resources/partnershipguide/. (21 December 2009).

U.S. Department of Agriculture [USDA], Forest 

Service, National Partnership Office. 2004. 

Partnership capacity assessment tool. Washington, 

DC.

Resources

http://www.partnershipresourcenter.org. This website 

provides online resources to build vibrant partnerships 

and effective collaboration for the nation’s forests, 

grasslands, and other special places. The website is a 

joint project of the National Forest Foundation and the 

U.S. Forest Service.

Spanish Colonial Research Center, University of New 

Mexico. The Center was established by the National 

Park Service in partnership with the university. The 

Center employs Spanish speakers from multiple 

Spanish-speaking countries and regions to assist in 

translating English into Spanish. English is translated 

into Spanish so that it makes sense to employees, and 

then it is back-translated into English to check that the 

original meaning is intact. Contact: Jerry Gurule and 

other staff members at (505)346-2890; fax: (505)277-

4603; e-mail: clahr@unm.edu.
Appendices

Giant Sequoia National Monument Management Plan

143

Appendix F—Recreation Planning

In addition to the recreation niche settings, recreation 

opportunity spectrum (ROS) classes, standards/

guidelines, and strategies, the following paragraphs 

contain some considerations in planning for recreation 

opportunities in the future. Much of the information 

comes from the National Association of Recreation 

Resource Planners’ “Principles of Recreation 

Resource Planning” (2009).

● Not all types and amounts of people or activities 

can be accommodated in a particular setting at one 

time. Recreation niche settings, which focus on 

the special values and resources of a setting within 

the larger spectrum of recreation opportunities, are 

expected to help guide what kinds of opportunities 

are provided where. ROS settings are expected to 

guide the type of development provided (amount 

of development, construction materials, type of 

access, concentration of use/social encounters, 

remoteness).

● Some recreation uses are not compatible with 

other uses. In determining what activities to 

provide and where, existing activities need to 

be considered. Strong preferences for specific 

recreation settings lead to competition for 

recreation resources among different user groups. 

Conflict may also be generated by how each user 

group perceives the others’ actions and values. 

Potential social effects need to be minimized and 

mitigated.

● Site specific plans need to determine visitor 

capacity for the proposed use. Visitor capacity 

is the prescribed number or supply of available 

visitor opportunities to be accommodated in a 

specific location and specific time.

● Consider resource sustainability in recreation 

project planning. Recreation use needs to be 

integrated so as to harmonize with, protect, 

enhance, and sustain natural and cultural 

resources, including the objects of interest. 

Potential environmental effects need to be 

minimized and mitigated. Consider the kind 

of resource legacy that will be left to the next 

generation.

● Consider recreation stewardship opportunities in 

project planning. Site restoration projects are a 

form of recreation for some people. Opportunities 

should be designed, managed, and interpreted so 

as to foster public appreciation, understanding, 

respect, behaviors, and partnerships that contribute 

to the stewardship of an area’s natural and cultural 

resources and special values.

● Ensure that all people have an opportunity to enjoy 

the Monument without prejudice of race, ethnicity, 

age, wealth, gender, beliefs, or abilities.

● Ensure that the recreation opportunities which 

are provided are what the public truly wants, 

while also ensuring that the natural and cultural 

resources can support/sustain the use. Do not take 

the attitude of “if we build it, they will come,” 

because they might not; resources are too scarce to 

waste them on developing recreation opportunities 

that will not be used or that will be used in a 

manner not intended (misused).

● Promote the environmental, human, and 

community wellness benefits that accrue from 

recreation participation, such as improved 

physical and mental health, child development, 

family cohesion, civility, social integration, 

economic stimulation, work productivity, resource 

stewardship, and a conservation ethic. 

The following maps display the ROS classes for the 

Monument.
Management Plan Giant Sequoia National Monument

144

Appendix F, cont’d.

Map 4 Recreation Opportunity Spectrum Classes for the Northern Portion of the Monument
Giant Sequoia National Monument Management Plan

145

Appendix F, cont’d.

Map 5 Recreation Opportunity Spectrum Classes for the Southern Portion of the Monument
Management Plan Giant Sequoia National Monument

146

Appendices

Appendix G—Scenic Integrity Objective Maps

Map 6 Scenic Integrity Objectives for the Northern Portion of the Monument
Giant Sequoia National Monument Management Plan

147

Appendix G, cont’d.

Map 7 Scenic Integrity Objectives for the Southern Portion of the Monument
Management Plan Giant Sequoia National Monument

148

Appendices

Appendix H—Special Area Maps

Map 8 Special Areas in the Monument
Giant Sequoia National Monument Management Plan

149

Appendix H, cont’d.

Map 9 Kings River Special Management Area
Management Plan Giant Sequoia National Monument

150

Appendix H, cont’d.

Map 10 Moses Mountain Research Natural Area
Giant Sequoia National Monument Management Plan

151

Appendix H, cont’d.

Map 11 Slate Mountain Botanical Area
Management Plan Giant Sequoia National Monument

152

Appendix H, cont’d.

Map 12 Freeman Creek Botanical Area
Giant Sequoia National Monument Management Plan

153

Appendix H, cont’d.

Map 13 South Mountaineer Creek Research Natural Area
Management Plan Giant Sequoia National Monument

154

Appendix H, cont’d.

Map 14 Windy Gulch Geological Area
Giant Sequoia National Monument Management Plan

155

Appendix H, cont’d.

Map 15 Proposed Moses Wilderness
Management Plan Giant Sequoia National Monument

156

Appendices

Appendix I—Clinton Proclamation

Page 24095

Federal Register

Vol. 65, No. 80

Tuesday, April 25, 2000

Title 3—

The President

Proclamation 7295 of April 15, 2000

Establishment of 

the Giant Sequoia 

National Monument

By the President of the United 

States of America

A Proclamation

The rich and varied landscape of the Giant Sequoia 

National Monument holds a diverse array of scientific 

and historic resources. Magnificent groves of 

towering giant sequoias, the world’s largest trees, 

are interspersed within a great belt of coniferous 

forest, jeweled with mountain meadows. Bold 

granitic domes, spires, and plunging gorges texture 

the landscape. The area’s elevation climbs from 

about 2,500 to 9,700 feet over a distance of only a 

few miles, capturing an extraordinary number of 

habitats within a relatively small area. This spectrum 

of ecosystems is home to a diverse array of plants 

and animals, many of which are rare or endemic to 

the southern Sierra Nevada. The monument embraces 

limestone caverns and holds unique paleontological 

resources documenting tens of thousands of years 

of ecosystem change. The monument also has many 

archaeological sites recording Native American 

occupation and adaptations to this complex landscape, 

and historic remnants of early Euroamerican 

settlement as well as the commercial exploitation 

of the giant sequoias. The monument provides 

exemplary opportunities for biologists, geologists, 

paleontologists, archaeologists, and historians to study 

these objects.

Ancestral forms of giant sequoia were a part of the 

western North American landscape for millions of 

years. Giant sequoias are the largest trees ever to 

have lived, and are among the world’s longest-lived 

trees, reaching ages of more than 3,200 years or more. 

Because of this great longevity, giant sequoias hold 

within their tree rings multi-millennial records of past 

environmental changes such as climate, fire regimes, 

and consequent forest response. Only one other North 

American tree species, the high-elevation bristlecone 

pine of the desert mountain ranges east of the Sierra 

Nevada, holds such lengthy and detailed chronologies 

of past changes and events.

Sequoias and their surrounding ecosystems provide 

a context for understanding ongoing environmental 

changes. For example, a century of fire suppression 

has led to an unprecedented failure in sequoia 

reproduction in otherwise undisturbed groves. 

Climatic change also has influenced the sequoia 

groves; their present highly disjunct distribution is 

at least partly due to generally higher summertime 

temperatures and prolonged summer droughts in 

California from about 10,000 to 4,500 years ago. 

During that period, sequoias were rarer than today. 

Only following a slight cooling and shortening of 

summer droughts, about 4,500 years ago, has the 

sequoia been able to spread and create today’s groves.

These giant sequoia groves and the surrounding 

forest provide an excellent opportunity to understand 

the consequences of different approaches to forest 

restoration. These forests need restoration to 

counteract the effects of a century of fire suppression 

and logging. Fire suppression has caused forests 

to become denser in many areas, with increased 

dominance of shade-tolerant species. Woody 

debris has accumulated, causing an unprecedented 

buildup of surface fuels. One of the most immediate 

consequences of these changes is an increased hazard 

of wildfires of a severity that was rarely encountered 

in pre-Euroamerican times. Outstanding opportunities 

exist for studying the

Page 24096

consequences of different approaches to mitigating 

these conditions and restoring natural forest resilience. 
Giant Sequoia National Monument Management Plan

157

Appendix I, cont’d.

The great elevational range of the monument 

embraces a number of climatic zones, providing 

habitats for an extraordinary diversity of plant species 

and communities. The monument is rich in rare 

plants and is home to more than 200 plant species 

endemic to the southern Sierra Nevada mountain 

range, arrayed in plant communities ranging from 

low-elevation oak woodlands and chaparral to highelevation subalpine forest. Numerous meadows and 

streams provide an interconnected web of habitats for 

moisture-loving species.

This spectrum of interconnected vegetation types 

provides essential habitat for wildlife, ranging from 

large, charismatic animals to less visible and less 

familiar forms of life, such as fungi and insects. The 

mid-elevation forests are dominated by massive 

conifers arrayed in a complex landscape mosaic, 

providing one of the last refugia for the Pacific 

fisher in California. The fisher appears to have been 

extirpated from the northern Sierra Nevada mountain 

range. The forests of the monument are also home to 

great gray owl, American marten, northern goshawk, 

peregrine falcon, spotted owl, and a number of rare 

amphibians. The giant sequoias themselves are the 

only known trees large enough to provide nesting 

cavities for the California condor, which otherwise 

must nest on cliff faces. In fact, the last pair of 

condors breeding in the wild was discovered in a 

giant sequoia that is part of the new monument. 

The monument’s giant sequoia ecosystem remains 

available for the return and study of condors.

The physiography and geology of the monument have 

been shaped by millions of years of intensive uplift, 

erosion, volcanism, and glaciation. The monument 

is dominated by granitic rocks, most noticeable as 

domes and spires in areas such as the Needles. The 

magnificent Kern Canyon forms the eastern boundary 

of the monument’s southern unit. The canyon follows 

an ancient fault, forming the only major north-south 

river drainage in the Sierra Nevada. Remnants of 

volcanism are expressed as hot springs and soda 

springs in some drainages.

Particularly in the northern unit of the monument, 

limestone outcrops, remnants of an ancient seabed, 

are noted for their caves. Subfossil vegetation 

entombed within ancient woodrat middens in these 

caves has provided the only direct evidence of where 

giant sequoias grew during the Pleistocene Era, and 

documents substantial vegetation changes over the 

last 50,000 or more years. Vertebrate fossils also have 

been found within the middens. Other paleontological 

resources are found in meadow sediments, which hold 

detailed records of the last 10 millennia of changing 

vegetation, fire regimes, and volcanism in the Sierra 

Nevada. The multi-millennial, annual and seasonalresolution records of past fire regimes held in giant 

sequoia tree-rings are unique worldwide.

During the past 8,000 years, Native American 

peoples of the Sierra Nevada have lived by hunting 

and fishing, gathering, and trading with other 

people throughout the region. Archaeological sites 

such as lithic scatters, food-processing sites, rock 

shelters, village sites, petroglyphs, and pictographs 

are found in the monument. These sites have the 

potential to shed light on the roles of prehistoric 

peoples, including the role they played in shaping the 

ecosystems on which they depended.

One of the earliest recorded references to giant 

sequoias is found in the notes of the Walker 

Expedition of 1833, which described ‘‘trees of the 

redwood species, incredibly large . . . .’’ The world 

became aware of giant sequoias when sections of the 

massive trees were transported east and displayed as 

curiosities for eastern audiences. Logging of giant 

sequoias throughout the Sierra Nevada mountain 

range began in 1856. Logging has continued 

intermittently to this day on nonfederal lands within 

the area of the monument. Early entrepreneurs, seeing 

profit in the gigantic trees, began acquiring lands 

within the present monument under the Timber and 

Stone Act in the 1880s. Today our understanding of 

the history of the Hume Lake and

Page 24097

Converse Basin areas of the monument is supported 

by a treasure trove of historical photographs and other 

documentation. These records provide a unique and 

unusually clear picture of more than half a century of 

logging that resulted in the virtual removal of most 

forest in some areas of the monument. Outstanding 

opportunities exist for studying forest resilience to 

large-scale logging and the consequences of different 

approaches to forest restoration.

Section 2 of the Act of June 8, 1906 (34 Stat. 225, 16 

U.S.C. 431) authorizes the President, in his discretion, 
Management Plan Giant Sequoia National Monument

158

Appendix I, cont’d.

to declare by public proclamation historic landmarks, 

historic and prehistoric structures, and other objects 

of historic or scientific interest that are situated upon 

lands owned or controlled by the Government of 

the United States to be national monuments, and to 

reserve as a part thereof parcels of land, the limits of 

which in all cases, shall be confined to the smallest 

area compatible with the proper care and management 

of the objects to be protected.

WHEREAS it appears that it would be in the 

public interest to reserve such lands as a national 

monument to be known as the Giant Sequoia National 

Monument:

NOW, THEREFORE, I, WILLIAM J. CLINTON, 

President of the United States of America, by the 

authority vested in me by section 2 of the Act of June 

8, 1906 (34 Stat. 225, 16 U.S.C. 431), do proclaim 

that there are hereby set apart and reserved as the 

Giant Sequoia National Monument, for the purpose 

of protecting the objects identified in the above 

preceding paragraphs, all lands and interests in lands 

owned or controlled by the United States within the 

boundaries of the area described on the map entitled 

‘‘Proposed Giant Sequoia National Monument’’ 

attached to and forming a part of this proclamation. 

The Federal land and interests in land reserved consist 

of approximately 327,769 acres, which is the smallest 

area compatible with the proper care and management 

of the objects to be protected as identified in the above 

preceding paragraphs.

All Federal lands and interests in lands within the 

boundaries of this monument are hereby appropriated 

and withdrawn from entry, location, selection, sale, 

leasing, or other disposition under the public land 

laws including, but not limited to, withdrawal from 

locating, entry, and patent under the mining laws and 

from disposition under all laws relating to mineral 

and geothermal leasing, other than by exchange that 

furthers the protective purposes of the monument. 

Lands and interests in lands within the boundaries 

of the monument not owned by the United States 

shall be reserved as a part of the monument upon 

acquisition of title thereto by the United States.

The establishment of this monument is subject to 

valid existing rights.

Timber sales under contract as of the date of the 

proclamation and timber sales with a decision notice 

signed after January 1, 1999, but prior to December 

31, 1999, may be completed consistent with the terms 

of the decision notice and contract. No portion of the 

monument shall be considered to be suited for timber 

production, and no part of the monument shall be used 

in a calculation or provision of a sustained yield of 

timber from the Sequoia National Forest. Removal of 

trees, except for personal use fuel wood, from within 

the monument area may take place only if clearly 

needed for ecological restoration and maintenance or 

public safety.

The Secretary of Agriculture shall manage the 

monument, along with the underlying Forest, 

through the Forest Service, pursuant to applicable 

legal authorities, to implement the purposes and 

provisions of this proclamation. The Secretary of 

Agriculture shall prepare, within 3 years of this date, 

a management plan for this monument, and shall 

promulgate such regulations for its management 

as deemed appropriate. The plan will provide for 

and encourage continued public and recreational 

access and use consistent with the purposes of the 

monument.

Page 24098

Unique scientific and ecological issues are involved 

in management of giant sequoia groves, including 

groves located in nearby and adjacent lands managed 

by the Bureau of Land Management and the National 

Park Service. The Secretary, in consultation with 

the National Academy of Sciences, shall appoint 

a Scientific Advisory Board to provide scientific 

guidance during the development of the initial 

management plan. Board membership shall represent 

a range of scientific disciplines pertaining to the 

objects to be protected, including, but not necessarily 

limited to, the physical, biological, and social 

sciences.

The Secretary, through the Forest Service, shall, 

in developing any management plans and any 

management rules and regulations governing the 

monument, consult with the Secretary of the Interior, 

through the Bureau of Land Management and the 

National Park Service. The final decision to issue any 

management plans and any management rules and 
Giant Sequoia National Monument Management Plan

159

Appendix I, cont’d.

regulations rests with the Secretary of Agriculture. 

Management plans or rules and regulations developed 

by the Secretary of the Interior governing uses 

within national parks or other national monuments 

administered by the Secretary of the Interior shall not 

apply within the Giant Sequoia National Monument.

The management plan shall contain a transportation 

plan for the monument that provides for visitor 

enjoyment and understanding about the scientific and 

historic objects in the monument, consistent with their 

protection. For the purposes of protecting the objects 

included in the monument, motorized vehicle use 

will be permitted only on designated roads, and nonmotorized mechanized vehicle use will be permitted 

only on designated roads and trails, except for 

emergency or authorized administrative purposes or to 

provide access for persons with disabilities. No new 

roads or trails will be authorized within the monument 

except to further the purposes of the monument. Prior 

to the issuance of the management plan, existing 

roads and trails may be closed or altered to protect the 

objects of interest in the monument, and motorized 

vehicle use will be permitted on trails until but not 

after December 31, 2000.

Nothing in this proclamation shall be deemed to 

diminish or enlarge the jurisdiction of the State 

of California with respect to fish and wildlife 

management.

There is hereby reserved, as of the date of this 

proclamation and subject to valid existing rights, a 

quantity of water sufficient to fulfill the purposes for 

which this monument is established. Nothing in this 

reservation shall be construed as a relinquishment 

or reduction of any water use or rights reserved or 

appropriated by the United States on or before the 

date of this proclamation.

Laws, regulations, and policies pertaining to 

administration by the Department of Agriculture of 

grazing permits and timber sales under contract as 

of the date of this proclamation on National Forest 

System lands within the boundaries of the monument 

shall continue to apply to lands within the monument.

Nothing in this proclamation shall be deemed to affect 

existing special use authorizations; existing uses shall 

be governed by applicable laws, regulations, and 

management plans.

Nothing in this proclamation shall be deemed to 

revoke any existing withdrawal, reservation, or 

appropriation; however, the national monument shall 

be the dominant reservation.

Warning is hereby given to all unauthorized persons 

not to appropriate, injure, destroy, or remove any 

feature of this monument and not to locate or settle 

upon any of the lands thereof.

Page 24099

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my 

hand this fifteenth day of April, in the year of our 

Lord two thousand, and of the Independence of the 

United States of America the two hundred and twenty 

fourth.
Management Plan Giant Sequoia National Monument

160

Appendices

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